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A group of cheese puffs on a blue and white plate.
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Cheese Puffs

Savory puffs filled with creamy goats' cheese flavored by parsley, lemon and garlic. You'll love this take on classic gougeres! 
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 60 puffs
Calories 72kcal
Author John Kanell

Ingredients

For the Choux

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour 120g
  • 1 cup water 240mL
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter 113g
  • 4 eggs Plus an extra for egg wash
  • 3 tbsp pecorino romano

For the Filling

  • 12 oz goats' cheese room temperature
  • 1/3 cup minced parsley
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Filling

  • In a medium bowl, beat together all of the ingredients until combined and smooth. You may adjust the amount of cream as some brands of goats' cheese are smoother than others. The filling should be pipable but not runny. You may make the filling a day or two in advance and refrigerate.  Add more cream if needed to thin the mixture out if needed.

For the Pastry

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. 
  • In a medium saucepan bring the water, salt, sugar and butter to a rolling boil. 
  • When it boils, immediately take the pan off the heat. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add all the flour at once and stir hard until all the flour is incorporated, 30 to 60 seconds. Return to the heat and cook, stirring for about 30 seconds.
  • Scrape the mixture into a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer). Mix at medium speed. With the mixer running, add 4 eggs, 1 egg at a time. Stop mixing after each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated. The dough should be thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl. 
  • Pipe 1 to 1.5 inch dollops onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Tap down the points with a wet finger. Brush lightly with an egg wash and then sprinkle with the Pecorino Romano.
  • Bake at 425F for 15 minutes. Or until golden brown. If your puffs need additional time, lower oven temp to 375F. Pierce the bottoms with a skewer and allow to cool upside down.
  • Once cooled, poke a hole into the bottom of each puff and then pipe in the filling. 

Video

Notes

  • Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
  • After baking make sure to give your puffs several pokes. This will allow steam to escape and prevent your eclairs from getting soggy.
  • Using a large star tip (869) to pipe the choux helps control the expansion of the dough during baking but you can use a large round tip or just snip the end off of a piping bag.
  • You can make the shells in advance for a super-quick appetizer. Freeze in an airtight container and thaw on a wire rack then bake at 300F for 10 minutes to crisp back up. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 72kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1.7g | Fat: 4.7g | Saturated Fat: 2.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.3g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 39mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 1.5g | Vitamin A: 170IU | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.4mg