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Brazil, Americas · Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)

Jalapeño-Cheddar Cheese Bread Bites with Chipotle Honey Butter

Brazil's easy blender pão de queijo goes Tex-Mex: cheddar and fresh jalapeño baked in mini muffin cups, brushed with smoky chipotle honey butter.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time30 min
DifficultyEasy

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Brush every cup of a mini muffin tin generously with oil. Halve the jalapeño, scrape out the seeds and white ribs, and chop it into 3 mm pieces (wash your hands right away and do not touch your eyes). Grate the cheddar and Parmigiano.

    Add in this stepOil for the tin 1 tspFresh jalapeño ½Cheddar, coarsely grated 45 gParmigiano Reggiano, grated 15 g

    oven

  2. Put the milk, oil, egg and salt in a blender, add the tapioca starch on top and blend for into a smooth, thin batter. If starch is stuck at the bottom, scrape it up and blend again. For small amounts such as 1 or 2 servings, whisk hard in a bowl for 1 minute instead.

    Add in this stepMilk 80 mlNeutral oil 35 mlBeaten egg (1 egg is about 50 g) 25 gSalt ¼ tspTapioca starch (polvilho doce) 90 g

  3. Pour the batter into a bowl and fold in the cheddar, Parmigiano and jalapeño with a spatula. Do not blend them in: the cheese would clump and the chili would turn to mush. The batter is meant to be runny, like crêpe batter.

  4. The starch sinks quickly, so stir the batter with the ladle before each pour and fill 12 muffin cups three-quarters full.

  5. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven at 200 °C for , until domed and golden with crisp brown edges. Let them sit 3 minutes, then run a butter knife around each one and lift it out. They sink a little as they cool; that is normal.

    oven

  6. While they bake, melt the butter with the chipotle in a 14 cm small pan over low heat for until fragrant. Take off the heat and stir in the honey and lime zest. Brush over the warm bites or use as a dip.

    Add in this stepButter 30 gGround chipotle chili ½ tspHoney 2 tspLime (for zest) ½

    low heat

Cook's tip

They are chewiest within 10 minutes of leaving the oven. For less heat, swap the jalapeño for finely chopped green bell pepper plus a pinch of paprika; without ground chipotle, use smoked paprika with a pinch of chili powder.

Cooking it at camp

Blend the batter at home, carry it in a jar in the cooler and shake before using. At camp, set oiled silicone muffin cups inside a lidded cast-iron Dutch oven and bake with embers below and on top for 18 to 20 minutes. Melt the honey butter in a camping mug over a low burner.