Gougères Gruyère – French Appetizer Recipe
Gougères Gruyère is a French appetizer recipe that is not only a mouthful to pronounce but also a mouthful of cheesy deliciousness.
Servings: 40 Gougères Gruyère
Calories: 68kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups coarsely grated Gruyère cheese
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut the butter into small pieces and put in a saucepan with milk, water, and kosher salt. Bring to a boil.
- Add all of the flour at once, reduce heat, and stir with a wooden spoon. After about 2 minutes, the dough will start drying out and pulling away from the pan. That’s precisely what you want. This will make your gougères crispy on the outside.
- Scrape the dough into a mixing bowl and let cool for a couple of minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time and beat them into the dough.
- Once the dough is mixed well, add cheese, Dijon mustard, black pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper, and mix again.
- Transfer the dough into a pastry bag with a ½” round tip and pipe tablespoon mounds two inches apart on the baking sheets. You can also use a spoon or a cookie scoop instead.
- Bake for about 25 minutes until they’re nicely puffed up and golden brown. Gougères Gruyère are best served warm. Enjoy!
Notes
- How much is a "pinch" when listed under ingredients? A pinch of a dry ingredient (like spices or herbs) is the amount you pick up with your index finger and thumb. It's the equivalent of about ⅛ to 1/16 of a teaspoon.
- Baking tip: Most ovens tend to be hotter toward the back. I recommend turning the baking sheet(s) after about 15 minutes to ensure evening browning.
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Why are mine not perfectly baked? They look like little pancakes!
If your gougères didn't turn out perfectly the first time, no worries, you probably made one of the following mistakes:
- Taking the dough off the heat while it's still too wet (patience, my friends)
- Adding the eggs before letting the dough cool down (scrambled eggs, anybody?)
- Adding too much egg (start by incorporating three eggs first - one at a time, then mixing well each time - to see if a fourth one is required)
- Adding too much cheese (yeah, I tried that...didn't work)
- Oven not at the correct temperature (pre-heat and have it at 400°F for a couple of minutes before adding the lined baking sheets)
- Making them too big (tempting, tried that one too...they turned out nicely golden brown and crispy on the outside but not so puffy on the inside)
- Storage: Once you make this French appetizer and are hooked, you can easily double or triple this recipe. Any leftovers can be frozen in a ziploc bag for a couple of months. Once the gougère craving hits you, heat some up in the oven at 350°F for a couple minutes.
- Suggestion: If you enjoyed this, then you're gonna love our Chnöpfli - The Swiss Mac and Cheese!
Nutrition
Calories: 68kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 92mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 166IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 74mg