Cheese Puffs With Halloumi And Zaatar (Lebanese) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pinch salt
5 3/4 ounces flour
1 cup egg (I used 4 large eggs and 1 egg white to make one cup)
1 tablespoon za'atar spice mix
1 cup halloumi cheese, grated (can substitute swiss or Gouda or any of a similar type of cheese)
1 egg yolk, if desired to brush on the shells

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 425\u00b0F Prepare two cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
Mix the zaatar with the grated Halloumi cheese in a bowl. Set aside.
Place the water, butter and salt in a saucepan and heat to boiling; when boiling, drop all the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to cook the flour, until the flour paste holds together and leaves the sides of the saucepan.
Remove from the heat, and wait a couple of minutes; then plop the paste into a mixer or (my preference) a food processor. Get it going and start adding the eggs, one at a time, until mixed. Add the cheese and zaatar (previously mixed together).
Plop the paste into a decorating bag or just use a small spoon and form little even-sized mounds on the parchment-paper lined cookie sheets; you should have around 50 mini-puffs. You can glaze them with a beaten egg yolk, to give them a more golden shine.
Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes; reduce the oven heat to 375F and bake 15 minutes or so longer until they are all puffed up and feel dry to the touch. Serve immediately, or cool, store in a tightly sealed plastic container and freeze.