Gorgeous Gougères.
When our friends Susan and Towny visited us for the holidays, they brought some incredible wines they got on their recent trip to Provence, and a few recipes to pair with them. To go with the sparkling wine, Les Bulles de Barbebelle from Château Barbebelle, we decided to make Gougères. Read more about the wine on the Provence WineZine.
Gougères are the perfect marriage of pâte à choux and nutty, earthy Comté cheese. I’d never made them before but, under Towny’s tutelage, I got cooking. These little cheesy, heavenly clouds are not something to make in advance. However, they are ideal for a casual gathering of friends who don’t mind if you are missing in the kitchen for a few minutes… if it means they get to enjoy a warm batch of gorgeous gougères.
~ David
Gougères
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.
Make the egg wash by lightly beat one egg with 1/2 teaspoon water. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, salt, white pepper, and nutmeg and bring to a boil. When butter melts, reduce heat to low. Add flour to saucepan and continue cooking over low heat while stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir for about 1 minute. When the mixture pulls away from the sides of the saucepan (may be less than a minute), remove it from heat. Add the cheese to the saucepan; stir vigorously until it is mixed in well. Next, add the remaining four eggs, one at a time, beating each egg into the mixture with the wooden spoon. Continue beating until batter is shiny and smooth.
Form each gougère by dropping batter, in heaping teaspoon size, onto the cookie sheet(s). Use a soup spoon to make larger gougères.
Brush tops of gougères with the egg wash. Bake in top part of oven for 15-20 minutes until deep golden and doubled in size.
Serve hot or room temperature. They will deflate as they cool, but they will still taste great.
Makes about 3 dozen small or 15 large gougères.
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Mad Dog
January 3, 2026 at 4:49 amBread fused with Compté sounds like a match made in heaven!
David Scott Allen
January 3, 2026 at 7:54 amThanks, Mad Dog! What could possibly be wrong with this combination??
angiesrecipes
January 3, 2026 at 5:30 amComté and Gruyère are just too good to miss in life! These cheesy pastries look incredibly delicious.
David Scott Allen
January 3, 2026 at 7:54 amI agree 100-% Angie!
Carolyne
January 3, 2026 at 6:47 amWhat is not to love about comté in a savoury cocktail snack? Your photo (as always) is beautiful, almost edible. Happy New Year!
David Scott Allen
January 3, 2026 at 7:53 amIt is sucha. nice celebratory snack, isn’t it, Carolyne! Happy New Year to you and Andrew!
Mimi Rippee
January 3, 2026 at 6:50 amDelicious! I haven’t made them for years. I never could make them when I entertained or when I catered, for that matter, since they are only good right out of the oven!!! I can smell them now…
David Scott Allen
January 3, 2026 at 7:53 amThat is so true, Mimi, though having them a bit deflated and at room temperature didn’t stop me from eating every last one!
Susan Manfull
January 3, 2026 at 7:16 amA culinary marriage made in heaven! The gougères were some of the best ever and Château Barbebelle’s sparkling wine is wonderful—a great combo!
David Scott Allen
January 3, 2026 at 7:52 amIt was a great combo — I am so glad I learned how to make Gougères. Now I am going to want them on a regular basis!
Melissa
January 3, 2026 at 8:39 amIt’s been decades since I last tried to make gougeres (with indifferent success) but your recipe is inspiring me to try these again.
David Scott Allen
January 3, 2026 at 8:40 amI think it is worth trying, Missy. I was so happy to find out they were this easy!
Carolyn J Niethammer
January 3, 2026 at 8:45 amThese images are so vivid, I feel like I could reach through the computer screen and pluck one at peak crispness!
David Scott Allen
January 3, 2026 at 11:13 amI really wish we could do that, Carolyn — at least scratch and sniff monitors!
Barb
January 3, 2026 at 8:46 amI absolutely love Gougères!!! I’ve never made them but I’m going to give it a try! There are no French restaurants here, so I have to! The Les Bulles de Barbebelle sounds like a perfect match. I’m certain I could happily make a meal out of the combo!! Thank you Towny and Susan for sharing your recipe!
David Scott Allen
January 3, 2026 at 11:12 amWe felt the same, Barb — it could have been a whole meal, excpet I had many more plans for the evening. I think we all put on at least 10 pounds when they were visiting!
Gerlinde
January 3, 2026 at 10:47 amIn Germany, we call the sweet variation of Gougères Windbeutel. My mother was not a good cook, but she could make Windbeutel filled with soft whipped cream. All those food memories, thank you, David.
David Scott Allen
January 3, 2026 at 11:11 amI love the German name, Gerlinde — and my mother made the, too. Such a nice holiday treat, though she filled them with ice cream covered in chocolate sauce. Profiteroles!
Ronit Penso
January 3, 2026 at 11:01 amThough I more often make Chouquettes, the sweeter version, from pâte à choux, I do love both equally. The only “problem” with these is that they tend to disappear too quickly! 🙂
David Scott Allen
January 3, 2026 at 11:10 amMy mother made chouquettes for special celebrations, Ronit, and they were wonderful. But I loved making something new and savory. The techniquoe is a bit different. The last time I made pâte à choux pastry it was for a Gateau Saint-Honoré,
Ronit
January 3, 2026 at 12:55 pmHow impressive! Last time I’ve made Gateau Saint-Honoré was in cooking school, and since then, I was only too happy to leave it to professional pastry chefs! 🙂
David Scott Allen
January 3, 2026 at 2:08 pmMy mother once made it for my birthday when I was young (she was an amazing cook and baker) so I decided that I would make it for my friend’s 60th. It came out well but I know now what needs to be done differently! But, like you, I plan to leave that to the professionals!
Eha Carr
January 3, 2026 at 1:59 pmLike many state here, gougères have oft but not recently been made . . . and they are a cheesy delight. Lovely to remember and now want straight from your dish 🙂 !
David Scott Allen
January 3, 2026 at 2:08 pmThanks, Eha — I certainly think they will become a regular in our house now that I know how simple they can be!
Evening With A Sandwich
January 3, 2026 at 2:25 pmDavid,
First… Happy New Year Wishes to you! It has been a crazy season and I am ready to kick off 2026.
Gougères are a delightful appetizer and accompanied at a meal. delicious, my friend.
Velva
David Scott Allen
January 4, 2026 at 7:41 amAgreed, Velva! This holiday season has been nuts! Happy 2026 — may it bring much goodness!
I am glad you like the gougère recipe — they are so flavorful!
Suzo
January 3, 2026 at 3:18 pmThose look amazing! I can almost feel the sensation of biting into one!
David Scott Allen
January 4, 2026 at 7:39 amThanks, Suzo — they are so good… easy to eat too many!
Citu
January 3, 2026 at 3:54 pmGracias por la receta. Te mando un beso.
David Scott Allen
January 4, 2026 at 7:39 amDe nada, Citu. ¡Fue un placer!
Inger
January 3, 2026 at 9:27 pmI love Gougères! I’m going to take this as a sign I need to make them soon!
David Scott Allen
January 4, 2026 at 7:37 amIt is a sign, Inger. I am thinking of making them again this week!
sherry
January 3, 2026 at 9:48 pmthis sounds extremely delicious David! Who doesn’t love a bit of choux pastry? :=) Happy new year!
sherry x
David Scott Allen
January 4, 2026 at 7:36 amExactly, Sherry — especially when it contains cheese!
Tom Buchanan
January 3, 2026 at 10:23 pmDavid, I want to make these – stat! Thanks!
If I’m expecting company and want to serve these warm to accompany cocktails, can I hold the recipe (for 30 minutes? An hour? More?) so that when they arrive, all I have to do is form them and bake them?
I know it’s shocking, but we seem to have forgotten to hire full time kitchen help…. I hate to be up to elbows in bowls and pans when company arrives, but in this case, it may be unavoidable. Advice, please?
David Scott Allen
January 4, 2026 at 8:15 amTom — I have not yet tried this and my friends (from whom I got the recipe) suggest having a solid mis-en-place and then to throw the dough together as guests arrive. Several online sources say the dough can be made in advance and refrigerated, making it much easier last minute. I will give that a try but probably not in time for your “stat” needs! You will definitely want to bake them when guests have already arrived, though.
Tom Buchanan
January 10, 2026 at 11:29 pmThanks, David!
I think Covid sort of turned me feral. Covid, combined with being older, have made me realize that whole concept of effortless throwing something together with guests already there is, well, impossible. Maybe I’ll make them for a nice supper with just me and Robert sometime soon. I love the look and feel as you’ve described them.
David Scott Allen
January 12, 2026 at 1:11 pmNot to fear, Tom — I am trying them out with advance prep this week. I will keep you posted!
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com
January 4, 2026 at 3:45 pmDavid, so glad you’re onto gougeres now! I blogged my recipe about a dozen years ago. I like them fairly small (#60 scoop size) so would probably get 30 out of this recipe. I usually just make 15. It’s one of those things guests assume were difficult to make, but they are sooooo easy. A perfect choice to pair with that sparkling wine.
David Scott Allen
January 5, 2026 at 10:13 amThanks, Jean — yes, I have come late to the party/table! Next time I try them, I plan to make small ones to see the difference. I agree wholeheartedly — they are so easy to make. They will be a regular at my apéros!
Frank | Memorie di Angelina
January 5, 2026 at 9:56 amThese looks amazing, David. Believe it or not, though I love them I’ve never tried my hand at making gourgères. Looks like it’s time to get on the bandwagon..
David Scott Allen
January 5, 2026 at 10:08 amThat is exactly the way I felt, Frank — why has it taken me until now to try these? The good news is that they are easy!
Raymund
January 6, 2026 at 11:28 amThese look downright addictive, David, that combo of pâte à choux and Comté is such a power move. Honestly, I’d happily disappear into the kitchen for a few minutes if it meant serving these warm to friends.
David Scott Allen
January 7, 2026 at 1:38 pmThanks, Raymund — they are quite addictive but they aren’t terrible bad for you, which is good. I am going ot attenpt making the batter in advance to see if that makes it a little easier for entertaining.
Valentina
January 10, 2026 at 9:54 pmComté and Gruyère are my favorites, so either one will do for me. And I love sparkling wine! What a delicious pairing. 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
January 12, 2026 at 1:13 pmI love their nuttiness, Valentina — wonderful cheeses!
Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina
January 23, 2026 at 5:01 amI just found your blog through Chef Mimi’s post! So glad to have found it and to begin by reading this recipe for delicious gourgères. They look simply perfect and I’d opt for gruyere.
David Scott Allen
January 23, 2026 at 9:24 amThanks, Roz! It is nice to meet you through Mimi and I look forward to your recipes! The gougères are really tasty and both cheese work well. I hope you enjoy them.
Christina
January 26, 2026 at 6:17 pmWho can ever say no to delicious gougeres!!! Love them, and yours look just lovely! Nice job, as always, David!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 5:14 pmThanks, Christina — I’ve now made them several times since the holiday and they really are so easy!
2pots2cook
February 9, 2026 at 4:36 amSuch a beautiful dish David! If my kitchen is centered and opened on our floor, I would make it so often…..
Cocoa & Lavender
February 9, 2026 at 9:13 amThey are fun for entertaining, even if your kitchen isn’t front and center!