October 22, 2011: Cheddar Puffs With Apple Filling Recipe

Today we’ve got a high tea event planned for the women of our church. We did this last year and held the event at Kathy’s house, which is decorated like a very feminine, floral B&B so it’s perfect for this type of ladies’ event.

I was tasked with making dessert. As usual, I wanted something different and I’d clipped this recipe recently from The Arizona Republic. Since October is National Apple Month, I thought it would perfect.

Apple Cheddar Puffs

For the puffs:

1 cup water

6 T. butter (or 6 T. butter plus 1 t. salt)

1 1/3 cups flour

5 eggs

1 cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

For the filling:

4 sweet apples, such as Golden Delicious (I used Fiji)

¼ cup sugar

1 t. freshly grated ginger (I used minced jarred ginger)

1 T. lemon juice

Pinch of salt

½ cup water divided

1 T. cornstarch

Heave oven to 425 degrees. Line one large or two smaller baking sheets with parchment (the puff recipe will make 1 ½ - 2 dozen, depending on how large you make each one).

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, bring the water and butter to a boil. Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball of dough, about 1 minute.

Transfer the dough to the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix with paddle attachment for one minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, waiting until fully incorporated before adding the next. When all the eggs have been added, mix in the cheese on low speed.

Spoon the mixture into a gallon size sealable plastic bag or pastry bag. Cut off the corner if using a storage bag and seal the top. Gently squeeze the bag to create walnut-size mounds on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least one inch between each. Note: I made mine bigger and they were just fine; easier to fill.

Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven to 375 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove puffs from the oven and pierce the side of each to let the steam escape. Cool completely, then use or store in an airtight container up to 24 hours. Note: you need to allow them to cool completely before storing so they don’t get soggy.

Meanwhile, make the filling by combining the apples, sugar, ginger, lemon juice, salt and 2 tablespoons of the water in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until apples are tender, about 15 minutes. In a small bowl, combine remaining water and cornstarch; add to the apple mixture. Bring to a gentle boil to thicken the mixture, then remove from heat.

To fill the puffs, you can either cut them in half and spoon filling inside or use a pastry bag to pipe the apple mixture in through a small hole (the latter looks nicest; the former is much easier and requires less cleanup/effort).

Makes between 18 – 24 puffs.