Ingredients
Makes about 36 cheese puffs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated cheese, such as Gruyère or cheddar (about 6 ounces)
Preparation
Position your oven racks so you have 2 racks that divide the oven into thirds. Preheat the oven to 425F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment.
In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the milk, water, butter, and salt to a rapid boil.
Add the flour all at once, lower the heat to medium-low, and start stirring energetically with a heavy whisk.
The dough should come together and a light crust will form on the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring vigorously (you may switch to a wooden spoon for this phase if desired) for another minute or two to dry the dough. Your down will come out of the bowl very smooth once it is ready.
Turn the dough into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
Let it sit for a minute, then started the mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure each is fully combined before adding the next one. The dough may separate, but by the last egg will come together again.
Beat in the grated cheese.
Once the cheese is combined, spoon the Gourgeres onto the baking sheets immediately.
Use about 1 tablespoon for each gougere. Leave 2″ of puff space between each on the baking sheet.
Slide the sheets into the oven and turn it down to 375 degrees F.
Bake for 12 minutes then rotate the pans front to back and top to bottom.
Continue baking until they are golden, firm, and puffed. Should be another 12-15 minutes.
Serve warm or transfer to racks to cool. They’re best served warm, so reheat if need be.
You can freeze the uncooked Grougeres. Freeze them on a cookie sheet, then pull them off and put the frozen ones into airtight plastic bags. When ready to serve, follow the same baking instructions. The frozen puffs will take a minute or two longer to cook.