Several years ago my husband and I had our anniversary dinner at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach. Every bite of my meal was phenomenal but the cheese rolls that were brought out before the meal were especially memorable. They were not your typical cheese rolls. That light, soft and chewy texture with the fantastic melt in your mouth cheesiness has been stuck in my mind ever since.
Upon my routine Pinterest search I came across a recipe for a Brazilian Cheese Rolls called Pao De Queijo. The pictures and description looked similar to the cheese rolls that I had at the Montage Resort. I had to give it a try and to my delight, it was spot on!
These bread rolls are naturally gluten free, the recipe uses tapioca flour which gives it the stretchiness. The flavor of the rolls depends on the cheese you use, so be sure to use a good quality cheese with a strong flavor.
My favorite cheeses to use are Parmesan, Cheddar, Cojita but you can experiment and come up with a blend that you like. There are two methods to making this dish, one is the traditional way where you make a dough over the stovetop and roll the dough into balls and then bake them in the oven and the other is the quick and easy way where you throw all the ingredients into a blender and make a batter and then bake it in a muffin tin.
If you have seen my recipes for Guilt-Free Belgian Waffles, Flourless Chocolate Chip Muffins, and Flourless Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins you’d know that I love blender recipes so of course I went with the quick and easy method. This cheese rolls recipe only requires 6 ingredients and within twenty minutes you will be enjoying that unforgettable cheesy goodness.
Brazilian Cheese Rolls (Pao De Queijo)
Ingredients
- 1 Large Egg
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil you can use any vegetable oil
- 1 cup Tapioca Flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup Cheese you can use any cheese of your choice, I used Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Blend all the ingredients except the cheese until it is a smooth consistency.
- Add the cheese and blend for a few seconds just to incorporate the cheese.
- Pour into a greased mini muffin tin, filling each cavity 3/4 of the way full.
- Sprinkle with shredded cheese. (optional)
- Bake for 15 minutes, do not over bake.
- These are meant to enjoy while they are fresh out of the oven since they do not reheat well.
Nutrition
About the author: Rubina Umarji is the owner and executive cake artist of Rubina’s Cake Shoppe. After the birth of her son in 2009, she left her career in engineering to focus on her two passions: her family and her edible art. Since then, she’s had the opportunity to showcase cakes and gourmet confections to thousands of dessert loving clients as well as over 100 of Hollywood’s hottest stars and has had her cakes featured on television. Now her days are focused on teaching cake decorating classes to all ages. Her favorite students are her two children, ages 3 and 5. She frequently writes cake decorating tutorials and recipes on the Rubina’s Cake Shoppe Blog (www.rubinascakeshoppe.com/blog).