These Everything But the Bagel Gougeres (cheesy puffs) is the perfect party food to serve for any special occasion.
Pate Choux
The base recipe of these Everything But the Bagel Gougeres is a pastry called pate choux. It is this magical dough that is made from adding flour to boiling butter and water and then mixing some eggs in at the end.
You can make both sweet and savory pastries with the dough depending on the fillings and what additions you make to it.
In this version I sprinkle the top with Everything But The Bagel Seasoning and add some cheese in the batter and also stuff it with some cream cheese.
Tips for a Good Bake
Making pate choux is actually quite simple. You just need to follow the right techniques and also use the right equipment. I will link some below in the Shop The Post section, but here is a short list of equipment:
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper or a Silpat
- Use a Piping bag
- Use #1A piping tip (with the 1/2 inch tube)
Now here are some baking tips:
- Once you see the first few bubbles appearing when it starts to boil quickly dump in the flour and turn off the heat to avoid water evaporation.
- Mix in the flour quickly so that there is still enough heat to cook the flour taste out
- You must cool the flour/butter/water mixture first before adding in the eggs or else you are just going to be making scrambled eggs with batter.
- Make sure you leave enough space in between each pipe. They will triple in size, so leave at least 3 inches in between each mound.
How to make Everything But the Bagel Gougeres
Okay to make these cheese puffs first you get the flour ready by sifting together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Have it next to you by the stove.
Then melt the butter in the water over low heat first and then bring it up to a quick boil. Once you see the rapid bubbles throw the flour in and turn off the heat. Mix in the flour well until it starts to form a ball.
Leave the dough to cool in the pan until the pan cools down. Once you are able to touch the pan with your bear hands, it’s time to add in the eggs. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and add into the flour mixture and mix until the batter is super smooth with no lumps. Add in the grated cheese and mix well.
Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch pipping nozzle and pipe 16 equal mounds of dough on your lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with Everything But The Bagel seasoning.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and then reduce the heat and cook for a further 10 minutes to dry out the insides.
Leave to cool on a wire rack and then cut the puffs in half and fill with your choice of soft cheese. I decided on some vegan cream cheese, but you can go all out.
When to Serve it
I love making these for parties, as you can fill them with different cheeses and toppings. It’s a great paring with the Meyer Lemon French 75 with Elderflower Syrup along with my Healthy-ish Pandan Yema (Filipino Custard Candy) if you are making small bites for a New Years party.