Happy Little Cheese Puffs.
Need a simple appetizer to impress your friends OR to eat all by yourself in front of the most recent episode of Glee? I’m all about simple, and truth be told, I’m all about cheese. Little chewy cheesy things make me profoundly happy. Watching Glee, in general (not every episode – to be clear – but most every episode ESPECIALLY if Sue has had a good moment or two), makes me quite chipper. Can you imagine how delighted I would be if I could eat little chewy cheesy things AND watch Glee at exactly the same time? My knees get weak just thinking about it. Make these little chewy cheesy things and you’ll see. These are happiness inducing treats. I swear it.
Gruyere Cheese Mini-appetizers (24)
- ¾ cup flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 egg beaten
- ½ cup grated Gruyere cheese (Trader Joe’s makes a Gruyere/Swiss Cheese blend that works really well too)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh chives
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. The tiny mini-muffin pan openings are a real challenge to grease using butter or margarine. This is definitely a time to use one of the widely available vegetable sprays, such as Pam.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk and the egg, and then add them to the flour mixture. Stir until just blended. Add the grated cheese and the chopped chives. It is best if you let the mixture rest for 10-15 minutes before baking. Lie down. Put up your feet. Have a glass of white wine.
Divide the batter among the greased mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden about 20 minutes. It’s best if you share these, but I’ve been known to eat at least SIX. I wasn’t counting but I believe my older son just ate EIGHT of them.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, those look good! I’m not a cheese fan, but something about the chewy-melty-salty stuff really gets me going. Totally making these for Tgiving!
How did you know that this is precisely what I’m in the mood to bake and eat today? You clairvoyant, you.
Erika: When I made these I thought of you – I swear it. I hope you like them!
Debbie: I promise they’ll be eaten in 5 minutes flat. If you invite me and my kids over they’ll last 2 minutes!
P.S. Made these for dinner tonight, with a few variations. Really delicious. Thanks Rachel!
I think Sue is hilarious! Now I just have to find buttermilk here and then I will be all set for my next episode of Glee.
Oh dear GOD, Rachel, you are going to make me fat(er)!
I’m going to try these for a baby shower this weekend. They sound delicious.
Bonnie – your guests will thank you. I promise.
Yours,
Rachel
can these be made ahead and refrigerated?…or frozen?
Freeze them and then defrost overnight and reheat!!
The pictures. The food. The wit. When IS the cook book coming out?
Rachel, I stumbled across your lovely blog while trying to find a last-minute recipe for hot cheese appetizers. Your recipe looked pretty promising so, 20 minutes before my Dutch/Norwegian guests arrived I popped them in the oven and held my breath.
Nary a one was left. Not only did the guests love them, but the Belgian/Canadian contingent that is my partner and me did too – and I’m making them again this afternoon for the bridge club.
Thanks for posting it, and I look forward to finding more nummy things here.
Deborah:
I love that story! I always thought that Belgians and Canadians had good taste. This proves it.
Best,
Rachel
Saved my Thanksgiving! I re-read our host’s text an hour
ago and realized in addition to wine we were to bring an
appetizer. Had Gruyere on hand along with other ingredients
So googled for a recipe and yours came up. Just finished
second batch. Delish. THANKS!
Do they need to be served fresh from the oven? I am bringing “orderves” (I swear, that is how it was spelled in the Jooners request!!) for a teacher’s luncheon and thought these might be just the thing…… (they also wanted “meet orderves”…. seriously??!!)
Tonja:
To be totally honest, I’ve never had any leftover to try them later. I imagine that they aren’t nearly as good cold. Can you reheat them briefly in a really hot oven?? If you had access to a 400 degree oven for just 2-3 minutes, that might make a big difference. Do you want me to think about another option that would travel better??
Rachel
Tonja:
I’m a huge fan of serving soup in little tiny cups as an appetizer. You’d still need a way to heat the soup. For example, tomato soup served in espresso cups, or shot glasses – is super fun and easy. I bought 25 shot glasses at IKEA and I often serve soup in them as a first course. Even kids love it.
Rachel