Best Ever Cheddar Cheese Puffs

 

While it may seem complex, this type of dough is surprisingly easy to make. It’s used to create a variety of pastries, including cream puffs, eclairs, cheese puffs (gougères), beignets, and Mexican churros. Once you get the hang of the specific technique, you’ll find it’s a fantastic and functional style of dough. It can be a little stiff to work with by hand, but with some practice, you’ll master it in no time.

This recipe for cheese puffs is our favorite. They are made with cheddar cheese and a bit of thyme. For a smoky touch, add crumbled bacon to the mix. A savory herbal addition is delicious. We use sage, basil, or dill. One could use a small amount of blue cheese instead of cheddar. They are also outstanding and more traditionally made with Gruyere or Emmenthaler.

Don’t be afraid to add your twist to the recipe. Experiment with different cheeses, herbs, and even add-ins like ground mustard or other savory ingredients. This is your chance to be creative and make these cheese puffs uniquely yours.

These cheese puffs are Excellent as dumplings in a cream soup. They can be used instead of traditional croutons. We prefer eating them with reckless abandon as the most addictive appetizer. 

Cheddar Cheese and Herb Puffs

4 oz unsalted butter

1 cup (8oz.) water

1 cup (120g) Panhandle Milling all-purpose flour

4 large eggs, at room temperature

4 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese or 2 oz. blue cheese

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, or dill

Fresh ground black pepper

Directions

• Add the water, butter, and salt to a medium-sized, deep saucepan or skillet and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the flour all at once. Combine quickly and stir with vigor. As the flour cooks, the mixture will form a dough ball that will pull away from the sides of the pan. It helps to use a sturdy wooden spoon to stir. The dough will be thick. Continue to cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for at least ten minutes. Stirring will enable the dough to cool evenly. The dough should be warm, but not hot enough to cook eggs. We suggest allowing it to cool to under 140°F.
• Add the eggs one at a time. Stir well after each addition until the eggs are fully incorporated into the dough. The dough should become somewhat creamy.
• Stir in the grated cheese, thyme, and fresh cracked black pepper.
• Heat the oven to 425°F. Spoon the dough into balls by rounded Tablespoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, allowing at least one inch between each ball.
• Place the pan in the oven and bake for 12 minutes at 425°F.
• Then, reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for 15-20 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the puffs to stay in the oven for a few minutes more. Test the interior of one of the puffs. It should be dry and fluffy.
• Serve the puffs filled with a small amount of cream cheese or chicken salad. Store leftover unfilled puffs in the freezer in an airtight container for up to four months.

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

 

Coconut Flour Onion Dill Cheese Crackers, Low Carbohydrate, High Fiber and Crazy Delicious!

Something froze over. Seriously.  It isn't every day that I can look out and see snow on the sand-stone. In fact, I can count on 2 fingers the times it has ever snowed here in my Sonoran Desert since I moved her 17 years ago...and yesterday was one of those days. I had, a few weeks ago picked up some more amazing organic coconut flour and it seemed like a perfect day to play with this stuff...seeing all the other white flakes just flicked all over the valley. Yes, this is officially how my giant brain works.  The last time I shared a coconut flour recipe it was for Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes with white chocolate peppermint mousse.  Here are some things you should know about coconut flour:

Coconut flour can be difficult to work with if you are unfamiliar with it.  

•  You cannot use 100% coconut flour in recipes that are designed for wheat flour.
•  Coconut flour lacks gluten, and thus won't hold air or make a texture like that found in gluten breads. 
• Adding egg or Xanthan gum has been a great way to replace the wheat protein in my gluten-free baking and still give the texture I want in my crackers, muffins and cookies. 
•  As a general rule, if you are adding say, 1/4 cup of coconut flour to a recipe, you'll need to increase the liquid by the same amount. 
•  It absorbs it's volume in water.
•  I use a minimal amount of liquid in my coconut flour baking  because adding too much liquid will also cause the final product to be very moist, sometimes overly moist and mushy.  
• The extra fiber will keep you full longer and help promote a healthy colon and weight loss.
• Because it is low in carbohydrate, it is an excellent replacement for regular flour in recipes. I personally suggest reading Cooking With Coconut Flour by Bruce Fife. It is a great read and has helped me immensely with my baking skills using this remarkable flour. That being said, I've also found some of my own favorite tricks for using the flour.
•  Coconut flour, unlike most other flours, is very high in fiber. It does in fact have 4 grams of fiber in 2 Tablespoons of the flour. It has a light coconut flavor, and that can be either played with and used for a coconut undertone to your dishes or just covered with herbs and spices.

Chef Tess Onion Dill Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup freeze-dried Colby Cheese
1/2 cup organic coconut flour
1T Chef Tess Big Dill Seasoning (or 1 1/2 tsp dill, 1/2 tsp garlic, 1/2 tsp onion, 1/2 tsp pepper)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients. Allow dough to sit 10 minutes. The flour will absorb the liquid and the cheese will hydrate slightly. In all honesty, the freeze dried cheese is my secret ingredient. It stays slightly crunchy and gives the crackers the perfect crunch. The xantham gum will help the crackers hold together and lend a very nice texture to the finished crackers. 

 Roll out thin on a lightly oiled baking stone ( I use a 18 inch pizza stone), lightly oiling the top of the dough if needed to keep it from sticking to your rolling pin, until 1/8th inch thick. I roll a little sprinkle of salt on top of the crackers. Cut into 1 inch squares. 

 Bake 400 degrees 20-25 minutes until crisp. Open oven. Turn off heat and let crackers sit in the oven 10 minutes (200 degrees or so until very dry and crunchy).

Yield 4 servings, 137 calories a serving. 8 g fat, 8 g protein, 4 g fiber, 8 carb (4 net).

There you go my darlings, make some great coconut flour crackers!

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Homemade Gourmet Cheese Crackers

Tuesday I taught a Cracker-lackin' Homemade Cracker Class at Honeyville Farms in Chandler. I promised everyone I'd post how I make my homemade cheese crackers. I'll be adding a few others too...but today this is the Cheesy tutorial. Be impressed. There's a reason the words "cheese-crackers" have "crack" in them. Just saying...totally addictive little crispy wafers of wholesome goodness. I could eat them all day if I didn't have cheese issues. Seriously. I have a mild milk allergy. Sometimes I break my own rule and eat a little nibble of cheese...and then my eyes swell up the next day and I look like a mole with cotton balls shoved under my eyelids. Why do I do it? I'm not sure. However, during the class I served them with some of the warm jalapeno popper dip . Totally evil. Don't make it if you're on a diet. It's powers are too strong...I'm totally not kidding.

 As for the cheese crackers. Let's begin. As a random fact, mine don't have any fake stuff in them so they're good that way. I also like to see the cheese...so if you like an orange cracker, you may have to melt your cheese more than I do. 

 Chef Tess' Homemade Gourmet Cheese Crackers


1 cup freeze dried cheddar cheese (or 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese)
1/2 cup warm water
2 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour OR 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup Lucero Olive Oil (garlic or lemon are amazing here)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt


salt and seasoning of your choice. I use Chef Tess All Purpose Seasoning  


Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder. 

 Combine cheese and water. If you use fresh cheese, use only 1/4 cup water. The warmer the water, the better melted the cheese will be...but don't get it too hot or it will be gooey cheese. We want it to be able to blend. If using the freeze dried cheese, let it soak about 10 minutes.

Measure your pretty olive oil. I use Lucero Olive Oil because I adore the flavor. Make sure it's a good oil folks. 

 Combine the dry ingredients with the cheese mixture.

 Add the oil.

Mix until just combined. It only took about a minute.

Roll half of dough out on a lightly oiled baking stone. 

 Use a pizza cutter or a pastry cutter to cut the dough into squares.

 Prick with a fancy cracker making tool...like a fork.

I lightly mist the crackers with a little water from a spray bottle and then sprinkle with seasoning. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until crispy. Mmm.

 I really love seeing the cheese in my crackers...but again, if you are more conventional...let the cheese melt a little longer.

There you go! Homemade cheese crackers. I'm looking forward to seeing all the ones you make!  Do you want the printable PDF for all the rest of the recipes for the class? Go here. Enjoy!




Thanks to Auntie Em!
 Get the printable of this tutorial:


cheese cracker tutorial PDF