Black Pepper Gougeres

Black pepper gougeres are made with a pâte à choux paste similar to the dough used for profiteroles and éclairs.

Gougères are these magical little snacks packed with a ton of flavor. My first introduction to these savory bites came in culinary school when I was living up in Napa Valley.

Alex and I would drive two hours to San Francisco and wait in line to get our hands on Tartine’s heavenly gougères.

Don’t let the name fool you. While these black pepper gougères sound fancy and complicated, they’re quite easy to make!

Black Pepper Gougeres

I may be lactose-intolerant, but I love me some cheese (actually A LOT of cheese). In additional to freshly ground black pepper, these black pepper gougeres use Sartori’s black pepper BellaVitano cheese.

While this particular cheese helps to highlight the zestiness of black peppercorns, you can use a variety of more commonly available cheeses in its place.

Gougères are traditionally made with shredded or grated Gruyere cheese. Other semi-hard to firm cheeses like Gouda, Edam, or Parmesan also work well.

What is pâte à choux?

Pronounced “pat-ah-shoe,” pâte à choux is a French pastry dough that is cooked twice: stove-top and oven baked. It is often called choux paste. The dough is used to make eclairs, profiteroles, and gougeres.

The dough is first created by boiling milk/water, butter, and flour. The mixture will start off lumpy, but with constant stirring the dough will eventually get smoother.

Once the dough forms a cohesive ball that pulls away from the sides of the pot, it is ready for the next step.

At this stage, the dough will be VERY hot. The dough is beat with a paddle in a stand mixer until it has cooled to room temperature. Do not be alarmed when the dough starts to steam. It is just cooling down.

When the dough is at room temperature, the eggs are added one a time. This will loosen up the dough. The dough will break apart and look curdled. Have faith. It will eventually come back together into a smooth, shiny, and thick paste.

Piping Bag vs Cookie Scoop:

The pâte à choux is traditionally piped into little mounds. Use the directions in this gougeres recipe for the piping method using a 1/2-inch plain round tip.

I prefer to use a size 24 cookie scoop. It lends to more consistent, uniform results.

A fresh gougère is slightly crunchy on the outside, yet soft on the inside. It should feel light in weight when you pick it up, like little pillows.

Gougères should have a hollow interior. During baking, the steam created from the moisture in the water from the eggs, butter, and milk in the pâte à choux leavens the pastry. If the baked gougères feel “heavy” in weight, continue bake them until the insides cook and they feel hollow.

These little appetizers are great for cocktail parties, buffet spreads, or simply snacking on the couch!

More Cheesy Appetizer Recipes

• Savory Scones
• Roasted Green Chile Cheese Bread Rolls
• Cheesy Cheddar Biscuits