Locatelli Cacio e Pepe Cheese Puffs
With one bite of these light, cheesy and delicious cracked black pepper puffs, you’ll seriously doubt picking up another next garlic knot. The perfect appetizer or snack for the whole family, these little pillows are Italian comfort food at its best.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of all purpose flour
- 1 cup of whole milk plus 1 teaspoon more for an egg wash
- 5 large eggs
- 1 stick of unsalted butter, cubed, plus 1/2 stick for serving
- 1 cup of freshly grated Locatelli cheese
- 1 teaspoon or more of freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley for garnish
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat 1 cup of milk with the butter, the salt and the black pepper until bubbles begin to form on the edges of the milk, careful not to boil.
- Add all the flour and beat with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated. Lower the heat to simmer and constantly stir for about 1-2 minutes. Empty the mixture into a blender or food processor with a steel blade.
- Add 4 eggs and 1 cup of grated Locatelli. Pulse until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working in batches, carefully spoon the dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a 5/8” round tip.
- Pipe the dough onto the sheet pans in 1 1/4 inch wide mounds, about an inch high, in rows, about 1 inch apart. They should resemble immense chocolate kisses. Press the peak down lightly with a wet finger.
- Prepare the egg wash by whisking one egg with 1 teaspoon of milk until combined. Lightly brush the top of each mound with the egg wash and sprinkle with additional Locatelli and season with more cracked black pepper.
- Bake the cheese puffs until they are light brown about 15-20 minutes and rotate the pan halfway through baking. Be careful not to burn them.
- In a large bowl, combine 1/2 stick of melted butter, 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, as well as the chopped parsley. Tong the puffs from the baking sheets into the bowl while still hot. Carefully toss with a spoon until all the puffs are coated with the butter/oil/parsley mixture. Serve hot.
