Cheddar Cheese Puffs

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or rosemary
• Freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Combine the water, butter, and salt in a medium sized saucepan, then set it over high heat and bring it to a boil.
2. Turn the heat down to medium, add the flour all at once, and start stirring quickly. The dough will come together into a ball and begin pulling cleanly from the pan’s sides. A wooden spoon makes this easier because the dough gets thick. Cook it for a couple minutes more, stirring as you go.
3. Take the pan off the heat and cool the dough for a couple of minutes, stirring to help the heat release evenly. You want it warm, but not hot enough to cook the eggs the moment they touch it.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one until it disappears into the dough. You can use a mixer for this, or keep going by hand with a wooden spoon. The dough should look fairly creamy when you’re done.
5. Mix in the grated cheese, thyme, and a few grinds of pepper.
6. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Drop small mounds of dough, about a heaping tablespoon each, onto a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet, leaving at least an inch between them.
7. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees F. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the puffs have risen and turned lightly golden.