Cracked Pepper Gougeres (Cheese Puffs)

by Joanne June 24, 2011 (updated April 9, 2019)

These delightful Cracked Pepper Gougeres have fantastic flavor from Gruyere cheese and spicy peppercorns. Everyone loves cheese puffs!

Gougeres - Baked in Rows on Sheet Pan

I LOVE GOUGERES. I also loving saying gougeres, but I realize that I’m typing this and you can’t hear me. Otherwise you might hear me scream “GOUGERES GOUGERES GOUGERES!” over and over again for 3 hours. Or actually, only 1 hour, because that’s about how long these last in my house. These are delectable little hollow, crispy and golden brown cheese puffs and they really are addictive. Gougeres are made from pate a choux dough but instead of being baked and filled with cream, you mix in tons of gruyere cheese and freshly cracked black pepper. YUM! There’s a reason I call myself “Gruyere Monster” on my Twitter description.

Cheese Gougeres - Golden Brown and Puffed on Parchment Paper Baking Tray

Make the dough in a saucepan, and whip until it the dough has pulled away from the sides of the pan:

Gougeres Dough in Metal Saucepan in Clump
Add egg one at a time and incorporate it into the dough:
Mixing Cheese Puff Dough to Incorporate All Ingredients
It should look nice and smooth like this when you’re done beating:
Smoothed Out Gougere Dough with Wooden Spoon Stirring
Stir in the grated gruyere and add freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

Portion little mounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment:
Scooped Cheese Puffs Gougeres In Rows on Parchment Paper Lined Tray

Cracked Pepper Gougeres

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 50

These delightful Cracked Pepper Gougeres have fantastic flavor from Gruyere cheese and spicy peppercorns. Everyone loves cheese puffs!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

3
reviews
Leave a Review »

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp butter cubed
4.5 oz all purpose flour, by weight sifted (3/4 cup+2 tbsp, if measuring)
4 extra large eggs beaten
2.5 oz Gruyere grated (1 cup gruyere)
freshly cracked black pepper
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water for the egg wash

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the water, salt, sugar, and butter to a boil, and check to make sure the butter is completely melted. Take the pan off the heat, dump in all the flour, and beat it in quickly and forcefully with a wooden spoon. Woooo work that bicep! Put the pot back on the heat, and keep beating until the dough forms a smooth solid mass and has pulled away from the sides of the saucepan.
Remove the pot from the heat and scrape the dough into a clean mixing bowl. Add in the beaten eggs only a little bit at a time (I did 4 installations) and beat vigorously in between each addition, until the dough is smooth. Stir in the grated gruyere and add freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Now, usually pate a choux is piped out into little rounds, but I don’t see why one should go through the trouble. Piping bags are irritating and I’ve tested piped gougers vs. dished gougeres and they taste the same. So just use a small #60 2 tsp disher to portion out little balls, brush them with the beaten egg to give them a nice golden brown sheen, and bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 25 minutes, until golden brown and puffed. Devour and enjoy!