Chipotle Cheddar Gougeres with Cilantro Lime Dip
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Crispy chipotle cheddar gougeres puffs flavored with chipotle and cheddar served with a cool cilantro lime dip. A great party appetizer!
Chipotle Cheddar Gougeres with Cilantro Lime Dip
Just a few more days until 2016! I can’t believe it. Did you keep all your 2015 resolutions? I’ll be the first to admit, I definitely did not. We have a tradition of sitting with the kids and writing down some of the best things of the past year and goals for the upcoming year. I save them all, so we can reminisce about how things have changed. The big kids love to see what they wrote as preschoolers!
We usually have a low-key New Year’s Eve, but I always include some yummy goodies. Things to dip come at the top of the list. Now these cute cheddar gougeres puffs may look complicated, but they really don’t take too long to put together. The base dough is called pate a choux, the same stuff used to make cream puffs. Gougere is just a french word used for a savory version of choux dough. It is cooked on the stovetop, then baked in the oven. The little balls of dough puff up dramatically.
I seasoned the dough with diced chipotle peppers and some sharp cheddar cheese. We like it to have a little kick, so I added 2 full tablespoons of canned chipotle peppers. Baking the chipotle really mellows it out, so these are not overwhelmingly spicy. Lots of cheese, because you can never go wrong with lots of cheese 😉
The pate a choux before adding eggs.
After adding the eggs, chipotle and cheddar.
Piped onto the baking sheet, brushed with egg and ready to bake.
The most important thing when cooking the cheddar gougeres is to make sure they are not under-baked. The outside will be crisp and golden brown. You can tap the bottom of one and it should sound hollow. Immediately after removing from the oven, poke a hole in the side of the-the gougere, to let the steam escape. Otherwise, all the beautiful crispy dough will turn soggy and collapse.
Ready to eat! Complete with a fast cilantro lime dip.
Whether you are having a low key night or bringing them to a party, these chipotle cheddar gougeres will be the perfect finger food!
Chipotle Cheddar Gougeres
Crispy cheddar gougeres puffs flavored with chipotle and cheddar served with a cool cilantro lime dip. A great party appetizer!
Servings 45
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Ingredients
For the Gougeres
- 1 Cup Water
- 8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/8 cup White Flour 5 Ounces
- 5 large Eggs Separated
- 2 Tablespoons Canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce Seeded and Minced
- 1 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
For the Dip
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Cilantro Chopped
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
For the Gougeres
- Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Add the water, butter and salt to a medium saucepan. Let cook over medium heat until the butter is melted. After the butter melts, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until combined. Continue cooking and stirring over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. The batter will look like play-dough, or thick mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- Beat 4 eggs in a small bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat ¼ of the egg mixture into the dough. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Alternatively this can be done by hand with a wooden spoon, being sure to beat the egg in quickly so that it doesn't cook in the hot dough.
- Stir in the chipotle peppers and cheese.
- Beat the remaining egg with a tablespoon of water. Scoop small spoonfuls, about one and a half tablespoons, of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. The dough can also be put into a piping bag and the gougeres piped out onto the baking sheet. These rise up, not out, so they only need a bit of space around them. Brush the dough with the beaten egg. Place in the oven and reduce oven temp to 375 degrees.
- Cook for 20-25 minutes until the gougeres are golden brown. Rotate the pan halfway through the cooking time. They should sound hollow if tapped on the bottom. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Pierce a hole in the side of each gougere to allow steam to escape. Allowing the steam to escape will prevent them from collapsing.
For the Dip
- Stir together all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
These can be served hot or at room temperature.
The calories shown are based on the recipe making 45 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 piece. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 57kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 78mg | Potassium: 22mg | Vitamin A: 160IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Just made them for a Halloween party. First off, great recipe. Fantastic blend of flavors between cheddar and chipotle peppers. The dip is a perfect fit. Can use plain yogurt, but sour cream as in your recipe just produces a better, creamier flavor. I’ve made various kinds of gougeres in the past, so now for a couple of suggestions: no need to separate the eggs or to beat them – they are just dropped into the batter and mixed in one by one. This doesn’t change the final outcome. Also, I’ve never found that heating the batter for more than… Read more »
1 1/8 cups white flour then it says 5 oz
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Alison
My wife and I have a similar tradition that we do over afternoon tea. Very nice to reflect on the past year and think about the upcoming one. One of my resolutions for 2016 is to cook more. Thank you so much for the inspiring food you share. I look forward to seeing what you have in store for 2016 and trying to make some of it. Thanks ladies!
now this is my idea of the perfect appetizer! have a wonderful holiday season!!
These look absolutely fantastic! I am going to try these for my next party! Pinned for later!
Such a unique appetizer, love the cilantro lime dipping sauce!