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These Gougères are French Cheese Puffs made of choux pastry that is mixed with shredded cheese. They make for a delicious fluffy appetizer that is perfect to bring to a party.

Fresh baked gougères on a pan.

Gougères are the perfect companions to any party or celebration. They taste fantastic with champagne and YES, they taste as good as they look.

They are made from the same “puffs” or choux pastry used to make profiteroles except they have cheese in them. The cheese makes them crisp on top and gives them the most savory taste.

At first glance, this recipe looks simple enough because there are 5 ingredients and they bake for 20 minutes. BUT the recipe can be tricky and gooey, so I provided photos detailing the different steps in this recipe.

Why this recipe works:

  • You have elevated fancy cheese puffs ready in 35 minutes!
  • They are delicious French appetizers that are always a crowd pleaser.
  • You can use whatever kind of cheese that you like to make them.
  • You only need 5 ingredients.

Recipe Ingredients:

Ingredients needed to make gougeres.
  • butter– unsalted high quality butter.
  • flour– high quality white flour.
  • eggs– any type of egg will work here.
  • shredded cheese– I prefer using gruyere or Swiss cheese, but cheddar cheese is good too.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Step by step instructions:

Dough after it has been heated.
Step 1

Step 1: Melt the butter and water in a pan. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat off. Add the flour to the pan and mix it with the hand-held mixer until the batter clumps together and falls away from the sides of the pan.

Transfer the dough to a bowl and mix it with the mixer to help remove the heat from the batter. It should look like little pieces clumped together like the photo above.

Dough mixed with eggs in it.
Step 2

Step 2: Add the beaten eggs a little bit at a time to the mixture. The egg has to be thoroughly mixed in before adding more.

Once all the egg is mixed into the mixture it will be very gooey and wet-looking, yet thick.

Gougeres before baking.
Step 3

Step 3: Place 1 tablespoon sized spoonfuls of the mixture onto a lined cookie sheet.

Once the pan is full, you have to sprinkle it with water.

Gougeres after baking.
Step 4:

Step 4: Bake until light and airy.

You will know if they are done when they are slightly golden and feel light and airy. If they feel “heavy”, then the dough still needs to cook.

Expert tips:

  • Timing is very important. Make sure to have all the ingredients prepared and set out in separate bowls in advance. Also have you hand-held mixer plugged in and ready to go near the stove.
  • Move quickly! Especially for step 1, where you are adding flour to the melted butter. You need to quickly mix it with a hand-held mixer until the dough pulls away from the side of the pan.
  • Once you have your finished batter, the dough will be VERY sticky. Either use a spoon to spoon it onto the cookie sheet or add olive oil to a small cookie scoop.
  • Don’t forget to sprinkle water onto the pan before baking. You can put water on your hands and sprinkle them onto the pan.
Gougeres on a plate stacked on top of each other.

Other appetizers that you’ll love:

Pumpkin Spice Hummus

Bacon Wrapped Raspberry Stuffed Dates

Carrot Hummus

Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!

5 from 3 votes

Gougères- French Cheese Puffs

Servings: 30 gougères
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
These Gougères are French Cheese Puffs made of choux pastry that is mixed with shredded cheese. They make for a delicious fluffy appetizer that is perfect to bring to a party.

Ingredients 

  • 3.5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, ( 50 grams)
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup plain flour, (sifted 2x)
  • 3 eggs, , lightly beaten
  • 6 ounces shredded cheese ( cheddar cheese, gruyère or Swiss), ( 1 1/2 cup)

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 415 degrees F. Place silicone baking mats on two cookie sheets.
  • Melt the butter in a small bowl and put aside.
  • Sift the flower two times in another small bowl and put aside.
  • Beat 3 eggs in another small bowl and put aside.
  • Put butter in a pan and mix with 3/4 cup water and stir over medium heat until it boils.
  • As soon as it boils, remove the pan from heat and quickly beat in flour with a hand held mixer. Beat until the mixture comes together and it leaves the sides of the pan.
  • Transfer the mixture to a bowl and beat it with an electric hand-held mixer to release the heat. You will see the heat coming out of it.
  • Gradually add the beaten egg about 1 Tablespoon at a time to the butter and flour mixture. Beat until the egg is completely added. Continue until all of the egg is added and the mixture is thick and glossy.
  • Add the cheese to the mixture and mix with a fork.
  • Add 1 Tablespoon sized spoonfuls of the batter to a cookie sheet. Sprinkle the tray with water before baking.
  • Bake until the cheese puffs are slightly golden and feel light and airy, 20-30 minutes. (if they are still "heavy" the dough still needs to cook). 20 minutes is usually enough for me.

Notes

  • *Timing is very important. Make sure to have all the ingredients prepared and set out in separate bowls in advance. Also have you hand-held mixer plugged in and ready to go near the stove.
  • *Move quickly! Especially for step 1, where you are adding flour to the melted butter. You need to quickly mix it with a hand-held mixer until the dough pulls away from the side of the pan.
  • *Once you have your finished batter, the dough will be VERY sticky. Either use a spoon to spoon it onto the cookie sheet or add olive oil to a small cookie scoop.
  • *Don’t forget to sprinkle water onto the pan before baking. You can put water on your hands and sprinkle them onto the pan.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 53kcalCarbohydrates: 2.5gProtein: 2.3gFat: 3.7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: French
Tried this recipe?Mention @perchancetocook or tag #perchancetocook!
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