Cheddar Cheese Puffs

Years and years ago, my sweet Mom invited my girls and I to a Mother/Daughter program.  I have no other memory of what went on there, other than these little gems that were part of a Soup & Salad Buffet.  I asked for the recipe, and made them often as my kids were growing up.  Tonight I decided it's time to brush up on this old favorite.



If you've made cream puffs or eclairs - this is exactly the same method (and ingredients), other than the addition of cheddar cheese.  They are delicious served warm from the oven - but are surprisingly good cold.  



You really can't ruin this - so go in feeling confident.  

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (one stick) butter
1 cup water
Salt (if desired - I added 1/2 tsp)
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1 cup (+ or -) grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°.  In a large saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil.  Quickly add flour and stir until mixture forms a thick ball.  Remove from heat, and add eggs - one at a time.  Stir hard until smooth between each addition.  At this point, add about 1/2 - 3/4 of the cheese.  

Using a small cookie scoop, drop 1-2 Tbs dough onto an greased cookie sheet.  Make sure they are at least 1-2" apart.  Top with a pinch of the remaining cheese.  Place in preheated oven and bake for at least 20 minutes before checking.  Puffs won't be completely golden at this point, but remove from oven and pierce sides of each puff with a fork.  Return to oven (that has been turned off) for up to 30 minutes until desired color and doneness has been achieved.  (The longer they remain in the cooling oven, the less moist they are in the center).  Remove and serve warm or cold as desired.