When you think of pastries you probably think of sweet treats for breakfast or tea, but there are a lot of french pastries that are savory. Gougères, or french cheese puffs, are a classic savory french pastry and looked like fun! Considering french pastries are known for their difficulty I was relieved to see this recipe looked pretty easy. In fact, you’re able to make these ahead of time and then pop them in the freezer to use later.

When I saw this recipe is easy, I mean it. It also took very little time, which is great if you’re wanting to make these for a party. I didn’t have any issues melting the butter, milk, salt and then mixing in the flour. Once cooked, I let the dough sit for a few minutes in the stand mixer before dropping in the first of the four (five if you count the egg white) eggs. The Dijon mustard made this dough smell really nice and we used a mixture of smoked Gruyère and a white Vermont sharp cheddar cheese. I did a half batch plain and then decided to try a half batch with chopped walnuts as well. I wanted to try the make ahead version so using a cookie scoop I put them in parchment paper and popped them in the freezer.

These smelled a bit like sausage balls while baking, but they tasted delicious. They were nice and puffy and had a really good flavor. I’d definitely and all in all, they were very easy, especially if you freeze them and just bake as needed.

Recipe Used: Once Upon a Chef