Poofs

Max was upset. He wanted cheese puffs and I said no. What is the obsession with cheese puffs? I needed to do a bit of research.

Cheese puffs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cheese puffs are a puffed corn snack, coated with a mixture of cheese or cheese-flavored powders. Cheese puffs is a generic name; Cheetos and Wotsits are the most common brand name. "Cheese puffs" often refers specifically to the baked, puffed variety. One variant is "cheese balls", such as those made by Frito-Lay under the Cheetos brand, or those made in New Zealand by Griffin's Foods. In Canada, cheese puffs are commonly known as "cheesies".

Cheese puff is also a name for gougères, a choux pastry with cheese.

It gets better.
South park renames the snack in two episodes. And if you want reviews of cheeto-type recipes go to Taquitos.net for 178 reviews.
Too much time on your hands, and orange stuff.

OK. So if I were for a moment to take this cheese puff/cheetos thing at all seriously, like, people really like them, then, I would or should consider a real recipe.

What better person or chef to research than Kimmy's favorite, the Barefoot Contessa and her puffy recipe:

1 cup milk 1/4-pound (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Pinch nutmeg 1 cup all-purpose flour 4 extra-large eggs 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, plus extra for sprinkling 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a saucepan, heat the milk, butter, salt, pepper, and nutmeg over medium heat, until scalded. Add the flour all at once and beat it vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat for 2 minutes. The flour will begin to coat the bottom of the pan. Dump the hot mixture into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Immediately add the eggs, Gruyere, and Parmesan and pulse until the eggs are incorporated and the dough is smooth and thick. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Pipe in mounds 1 1/4 inches wide and 3/4-inch high onto the baking sheets. With a wet finger, lightly press down the swirl at the top of each puff. (You can also use 2 spoons to scoop out the mixture and shape the puffs with damp fingers.) Brush the top of each puff lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with a pinch of Gruyere. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown outside but still soft inside. OK. Rant over. I'm really thirsty.