Cheese puff is a type of puffed corn snack that has been coated with a mixture of melted cheese or cheese powder. It is manufactured by extruding a heated corn dough through a die that produces the desired shape. The resulting product may be ball-shaped (“cheese curls”), straight (like a ring pop or a piece of string), or irregularly shaped. It is a cousin to the choux pastry with cheese that is called gougere.
Invented in the 1930s, this popular snack is made with a combination of cornmeal, water and cheese powder. It has a light crunch and is available in a variety of flavors and sizes. Its origin is somewhat unclear, but Atlas Obscura explains that Edward Wilson, an employee at the Flakall plant in Adams, MA, repurposed an animal feed grinder to make these airy treats. He named them Korn Kurls, and the snack was born.
The dough is easy to make, though the pate a choux process can seem a bit strange at first. The technique requires half cooking the dough before adding eggs and then baking it to form airy pockets. The dough needs to be well cooled before you add the eggs, so it does not scorch while you are working in the butter and cheese.
The dough can be mixed in a mixer with the paddle attachment or worked by hand with a wooden spoon. Once it has cooled enough to work in, the eggs are added one at a time. The beaten egg whites lighten the rich, cheesy sauce. Finally, shredded cheddar cheese and fresh thyme are added for flavor. بف جبن