Cheese Puff Pretzels

Super Bowl ready in less than 20 minutes

I loved Hannah Montana and That’s So Raven as much as any millennial, but my childhood was as defined by Disney as it was the shows my mom grew up watching, from The Brady Bunch to I Dream of Jeannie. There’s this one episode of Bewitched involving Hansel and Gretel where Samantha, the mom (who, spoiler alert, is a witch), makes cheese puffs. For some reason, I’ve always remembered that—and I’ve always associated cheese puffs with Bewitched.

I’m not the only one, apparently, because I called my brother Jack the other night and asked him, “What does cheese puffs make you think of?” Without missing a beat he said, “Bewitched.” The same thing happened when I asked my mom.

Little cheese puff at the top, on my Thanksgiving plate.

Although the Bewitched cheese puffs have made an impression on all of us, the cheese puffs we make for holiday dinners aren’t anything like the ones we saw on TV. Samantha’s cheese puffs look like gougères, airy and light. Our cheese puffs, a version my mom developed based on a compilation of recipes from old-school Chicago caterers, are more cheesy than bready, with a round piece of thin white bread as a base and a cheddar-Parmesan mixture on top. When you take a bite, the cheese melts around your teeth.

My mom piping out cheese puffs like a pro.

Jack squirting mango chutney onto cheese puffs, the finishing touch.

It’s a little late to add something to your game day menu, but if you’re looking for a fast and easy recipe, try my Super Bowl-ified cheese puffs. They’re made with pretzels instead of white bread, and they’re topped with a cornichon slice for a little something tangy to counteract the richness of the cheddar.

They’re cute. They’re foolproof. And they take less than 20 minutes to make. (I’m lookin’ at you, last minute Super Bowlers.)

Pretzel Cheese Puffs

Ingredients

20-40 pretzels

1 cup sharp yellow cheddar, finely grated

1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1 egg yolk

6 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1 tsp. baking powder

Mango chutney

Cornichons, cut into little circles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In the bowl of a blender, place grated cheddar, grated Parmesan, egg yolk, mayonnaise, and baking powder. Blend until smooth and creamy.

3. Using an offset spatula (but you can also use a spoon or even your finger), spread each pretzel with a layer of the cheese mixture, forming a bit of a dome at the center. Place the each pretzel, cheese side up, on top of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese has darkened in color, melted, and puffed up.

5. Remove the pretzels from the oven and top each with a dollop of mango chutney and and a round slice of cornichon.

6. Eat right away.

Notes

1. I tried making this recipe with a few different kinds of pretzels, varied in size and shape. Taste-wise it doesn’t matter what you use, but for aesthetic purposes, I like that these Rold Gold waffle pretzels are quarter-sized and round—the perfect one-bite pop.

2. If you’re not into the pretzel of it all, stick with the classic. Swap out pretzels for thinly-sliced white bread (I like Pepperidge Farm). Either spread the cheese mixture on top of the bread, toast for 8-10 minutes, add the chutney and cornichons, and then cut into squares. Or, pre-cut the bread into circles using a cookie cutter, spread each one individually with the cheese mixture, bake for 8-10 minutes, and add the chutney and cornichons on top.

3. If you’re not into cornichons, lose ‘em. The pretzel cheese puffs will still be great with just a little dollop of chutney on top. (Fig jam could be good too!)