Ingredients:
½ cup water
½ cup milk
7 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
A pinch of chili powder
1 1/3 cup bread flour
2/3 cup grated semi-hard cheese, finely shredded, plus more for sprinkling
2 Tbsp. chopped herbs
4 eggs
Method:
In a 2-quart sauce pot combine the water, milk, butter, salt, sugar and chili powder. Cook over high heat until the butter has melted. Turn the heat down to low and stir in the flour. This will turn to dough quickly, so don’t be afraid to really stir! Add the cheese and fresh herbs. Continue stirring until the paste/ dough is smooth (the cheese will melt into the dough and that’s good)! Remove the pot from the heat and allow the mixture to cool, approximately 10-15 minutes. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer stir in the eggs one at a time. The dough will get lumpy, but keep stirring and it will smooth out. Put the dough in a large pastry bag, with a large tip.
Pipe the cheese puffs onto a prepared baking sheet. Do not pipe them too high or they will collapse slightly when they’re cooling, about the size of a silver dollar makes them perfect mouthfuls. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and if you want, sprinkle on sesame seeds, poppy seeds, any other small seeds or spices you have on hand. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until the bottoms begin to get golden brown.