Scallion Gougères would make a perfect gift for the “petit choux’s” in your life.

Traditional gougères are a mini French pastry mixed with cheese. In my version, I’ve added scallions and a mixture of gruyere and parmesan cheese for a very addicting combination. Interestingly, the French fondly call the dough for this recipe “pâte à choux,” which essentially means “cute pastry” (in reality, choux means cabbage, but the French use that word as a term of endearment). So, if you have any cute little cabbages in your life that you would like to surprise, try making a batch of this tasty food gift for them!

Scallion Gougères

Yield: Approximately 30

Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

1/4 c. water
1/4 c. milk
4 tbsp. (2 oz) butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. (2 oz) all purpose flour, sifted
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. (2 oz) gruyere cheese, shredded
1/4 c. (1 oz) parmesan cheese, shredded (if you have any cheese left over, save a bit to sprinkle on top of the pastries before baking)
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/16 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. scallions (green onions), finely chopped

1) Preheat oven to 400 F / 200 C. Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper.
2) In a medium pot, combine water, milk, butter and salt and bring to a boil.
3) Remove from heat, and with a spoon, stir in flour until smooth. Allow to cool for 1 minute.
4) Add one half of the eggs into the mixture and stir until combined. Repeat with the other half.*
5) Stir in cheeses, nutmeg, pepper and scallions.
6) Place the batter into a piping bag (or sturdy ziplock bag with a small, 1/2 inch corner cut off). Seal opening of bag with a rubber band.
7) On the parchment paper-lined sheet pans, pipe a little 1-inch ball. Repeat, keeping each gougère about 3 inches apart until all of the batter is used up. If you have any leftover cheese, sprinkle a little bit on top of each gougère.
8) Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden.
9) Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy fresh within 24 hours, or freeze for future consumption. If reheating from frozen, bake at 350 F / 175 C on a sheet pan for 5 minutes.

* Chef’s Note: Be careful about adding the eggs while the dough is too hot, as they might turn into scrambled eggs on you. Allowing the dough to cool briefly and then adding the eggs in small portions while stirring will help disperse the heat. This will effectively allow the eggs to integrate evenly throughout the dough without getting cooked (as the main cooking process should happen in the oven - not the pot).

Gifting Idea:

Place the Scallion Gougeres in a basket decorated with a ribbon and gift tag. Be warned that you may be tempted to eat them while you bring this gift to someone, so make a few extra for yourself!

These adorable little pastries pack some big flavor!