If you’re looking for something slightly different to put on your buffet table this Christmas time, this recipe could be the one for you.

These little, savoury choux pastry puffs are so light but so full of cheesy flavour. They would work perfectly alongside some charcuterie meat or leftover turkey!

Ingredients

• 125ml water
• 125ml milk
• 100g butter, cubed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• pinch of chilli powder
• 170g plain flour
• 75g mature cheddar, grated
• 4 eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Pour the water and milk into a pan and add the butter, salt, sugar and chilli powder. Place the pan on a high heat and melt the butter. Turn the heat down to low, then add all of the flour at once. Beat hard with a wooden spoon. At this point, the mix will be lumpy. Add 50g of the grated cheese and until continue beating until you have a smooth paste that doesn’t stick to the side of the pan.
2. Take the pan off the heat and continue to beat the mixture until the pastry is cold enough to touch. Mix in the eggs one at a time. The batter will go lumpy when you add them, but it will smooth out once is beaten in.
3. Once smooth, put the dough into a piping back with a 5mm nozzle. Line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
4. Pipe small balls onto the tray – about the size of a walnut. This mix should make about 25 gougeres, spaced at 2cm apart. If they come out too pointy in shape, wet your finger with water and gently pat the point down. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese then bake for 20 minutes until they are golden and crisp.

Notes

They are best eaten warm, but will keep for a few days in an airtight tub. To crisp them up again, bake at 150c for 5 minutes.