Bacon Parmesan Gougères

These truly are the perfect party appetizers. Light, airy, and deeply flavorful.

These puffs of yumminess are made using the French "Choux Pastry" technique. The dough is the same that is used for French eclairs. These savory bite-sized puffs of pastry really are the perfect party appetizer. They pair perfectly with a nice bottle of Champagne.

How To Make Bacon Parmesan Gourèges

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The Ingredients You Will Need

The ingredients for this pastry are simple and straight-forward. It's really about bringing it all together, but more on that in a moment. Here's what you'll need to have on hand:

Bacon - 4 thick slices or 6 regular cut slices. Remember to save the bacon grease.
Milk - Whole is highly recommended.
Butter - Unsalted. Doesn't need to be at room temperature.
Seasonings - Salt, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano
Sugar - Granulated
Flour - Bread flour is best, but all-purpose will yield decent results, too.
Eggs - These should be room temperature, if possible.
Chives - Finely chopped.
Parmesan cheese - Freshly grated from a block is best.

EXPERT TIP: The dough will be very thick and sticky. Continue to cook it in your medium-sized saucepan until you reach an internal temperature of 170°F.

Tips for Making the Perfect Bacon Parmesan Gourgères

Don't Skip Any Steps - Follow the recipe carefully to ensure that the dough is made correctly, which will give the gougères their light, airy texture. Make sure the dough has cooled somewhat before adding the eggs.

Use a Piping Bag - Piping the dough onto the baking sheet gives the gougères a uniform shape and size. If this isn't possible, use a small ice cream scoop.

Bake Until Golden Brown - Bake the gougères until they're golden brown and crispy on the outside, which will give them a nice crunch and help the bacon and cheese flavors to develop.

EXPERT TIP: Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the dough has cooled to about 145°F before adding the eggs. Add the eggs one at a time and make sure each one is completely incorporated before adding the next one.

How To Serve

As mentioned, these are truly the perfect party appetizer. We love serving them during the holidays, but they are great for any occasion.

They are scrumptious by themselves, but you could also serve them with a nice honey mustard dressing, or even homemade ranch.

Though they are wonderful at room temperature, they are truly at their best fresh out of the oven. The dough can be made up to 12 hours in advance.

EXPERT TIP: For uniform size, use a 1½-inch cookie cutter to draw circles on parchment paper and use this as a guide to pipe the batter. Then, moistened your fingers with water and press the tips down to form a small mound of dough.

Other Party Appetizer Recipes to Try

If you want to take your party to the next level, consider serving any (or all) of the following delectable appetizers:

Southern Crab Beignets
Warm Sausage, Spinach, and White Bean Dip
Marinated Olives
Classic Cheese Ball
Baked Brie with Praline Sauce
Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls (to come)
Homemade Crab Rangoons
Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms

These are all just so amazing. But, in the meantime, aren't these tantalizing puffs catching your eye?

If you're looking for a party appetizer that is not too heavy, and the ideal finger food, these French pastries are for you.

Airy on the inside, and crispy on the outside.

Perfect for a special gathering of friends and loved ones. They pair perfectly with Champagne.

Ready to make the best party appetizer in town? Go for it!

And when you do, be sure to take a photo of them, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!

Bacon Parmesan Gougères

These puffs are truly the perfect party appetizer. You and your guests won't be able to eat just one. Rich, savory, and puffy! Serve them freshly baked, however, the dough can be made up to 12 hours in advance.

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Resting time in the oven: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 193kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Video

Equipment

• ▢
  2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper
• ▢
  Piping bags with ½-inch tip

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 strips thick-sliced bacon
• ▢ ½ cup whole milk
• ▢ 4 tablespoon unsalted butter ½ stick
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cayenne
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1¼ cups bread flour sifted
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ 1¼ cups Parmesan cheese grated from a block
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chives finely chopped

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a 1½-inch cookie cutter to draw circles on the parchment paper about 1 to 2 inches apart. Flip the paper over, so the ink is on the underside of the paper.
• Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, and save the rendered grease, about ¼ cup. Chop the bacon is cool (you should have about ½ cup).
  4 strips thick-sliced bacon
• Bring the milk, ½ cup water, the butter, and the reserved bacon grease to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  ½ cup whole milk, 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Mix in the salt, onion powder, sugar, cayenne, and oregano.
  1 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon cayenne, 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Add the flour and stir with a wooden. The dough will be very thick and sticky. It should form a ball. Continue to heat the dough in the saucepan until an internal temperature reaches 170°F, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the dough cool to 140°F.
  1¼ cups bread flour
• Transfer the dough to a bowl of your mixer with the paddle attachment.
• One at a time, add the eggs, mixing on medium speed until each is incorporated into the dough.
  4 large eggs
• On low speed, mix in 1 cup of Parmesan, the bacon, and the chives until just combined.
  1¼ cups Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon chives
• Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch tip. Pipe about 2 inches of the dough onto each circle on the parchment paper. Press the tips of the dough down with moistened fingers. (have a small bowl of water nearby).
• Top the puffs with equal amounts of the remaining Parmesan.
• Bake until puffed and golden, about 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and use a large wooden spoon to crack the oven open for 15 minutes (see video for reference). Serve warm.

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. 

Remember to let the dough cool down before mixing in the eggs. They don't have to become room temperature but should be around 140°F. This takes about 15 to 20 minutes to cool down. 

The pastry dough can be made 1 to 2 days in advance. Keep covered in the fridge and let come to room temperature before piping the dough.

If you don't have pastry bags, use a spoon (or ice cream scoop) to form small balls on the parchment paper. 

Nutrition

Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 548mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 390IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 210mg | Iron: 0.3mg

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POST UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in August 2017, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with new tips and photography and a fabulous new video in November 2023!