Lunch Box Ideas - Cheese Puffs

With 2020 behind us and the new year in full swing, we have a couple of weeks to go till school starts and I’m on a mission to make this year (or at least the first term) a little bit less stressed by being well prepped.  Prepping enough so that I can spend 10 minutes after dinner packing lunch boxes for my boys (husband included), instead of the 30min rush in the mornings, in-between brushing someone else’s teeth and getting myself out the house looking half decent. I want something quick and easy, as well as something delicious that I know even the fussiest of eaters will enjoy.

The humble cheese puff is always a favourite in my house and I love it because it so easy and you really don’t need a lot of ingredients. It’s the perfect lunch box filler that can replace the obvious (and boring according to my eldest son) sandwich. 

The base recipe is super simple and you should already have all the ingredients in your pantry.  I double the batch so that we can eat some right out of the oven as a Sunday afternoon snack and the rest are packed in the lunch boxes for the week. 

The best thing about this recipe is that you can keep it simple (for the fussy eaters) or add extras like fried onions, green onions, herbs, ham, feta, bacon bits (for the daddy’s).  You can even use it as a vessel to introduce new flavours to little ones, as the cheese is quite neutral but can carry new flavours. 

I split the batch and keep half just cheese, and I add onion, ham, herbs, whatever I have really to the other half.  Secret is, don’t over mix it! Once I have whisked the eggs and milk, I STIR in the grated cheese, flour and baking power (along with the extras if you please).

Ingredients

• 1 Egg, Medium
• 1/2 Cup Milk, 125 ml
• 1 Cup Plain White Flour
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 Pinch Salt
• 2 Cups Grated Cheese (I normally do a mix of Mozzarella and Tasty, but use whatever you have).

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven to 200C.

2. Prepare a baking tray with non-stick cooking spray or use silicone cupcake moulds as shown (I always put them inside a muffin tray so they can keep their shape as much as possible).

3. Whisk together egg & milk in a medium sized bowl.

4. Add to that the flour, baking powder, salt & cheese, herbs or spices if using, and gently mix until just combined, Do Not Over Mix.

5. Dollop tablespoons of the mixture evenly spaced onto the tray or into the silicone moulds.

6. Bake for 10 minutes or until just golden brown, careful not to overcook as they will dry out pretty quickly.

7. Cool before putting into a lunch box or Tupperware dish, you don’t want them sweating.   

They can be frozen if need be, and if they are looking a bit tired after a few days, pop them into the toaster or microwave. 

Written by Dandy Swanks Snaps (Product photography and content creation)

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