Bacon Parmesan Gougères

An overhead view of a pile of bacon parmesan gourgeres on a square white wax piece of paper.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 40

Resting time in the oven: 15

Total Time: 1 15

Servings: people

Calories: 193kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

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.

Print Recipe

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.

Video

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