Soooo Cheesy...

Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside... Also known as Chipa, these little pao de queijo are addictive. It took me quite a while to finally come up with the right recipe. These little cheese puffs are so delicious... and they are gluten free!

Pao de queijo are inexpensive snacks usually sold by street vendors in heated containers in Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Bolivia. They are made with Tapioca Flour which is used a lot in South America but a little hard to find here in the US (but wholefoods has it, of course).

Believe me, if you like cheese, you'll love these. I baked these on a quiet afternoon during the past fourth of July weekend we spent with a group of friends up in this amazing house we rented in Maine. They are super easy to make, and they are to die for when you eat them right out of the oven and paired with a nice glass of wine.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of soy milk
• 1 teaspoon of salt
  
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of chopped garlic
• 2 cups of Tapioca flour
  
• 1 1/2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)
2. In a sauce pan, bring the milk, salt and butter to a quick boil (cut the butter in smaller pieces, so it melts faster).

3. Once it comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and add the Tapioca Flour and garlic. Don't worry, the Tapioca flour didn't go bad... it just smells odd.
4.  Mix it until its all combined and let it cool for 10 minutes.

5. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition.
6. Finally add the cheese. 
7. Make little balls (size of a walnut) and place them 1" apart from each other on a baking sheet.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Bake for 20 minutes. They should be golden brown, they might look a little oily in the oven just because the cheese is melting,  but they won't be oily once you remove them from the oven.
9. Enjoy!!