One of the best parts of starting this blog has been the input and help from my family. Having their help (and support) has been so rewarding. One of my daughters and I discovered Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pao de Quiejo) when we got a box of Chebe Mix and immediately fell in love. This is a great product. It’s easy to make and the results are, in fact, delicious, but we also like to figure out how to make things from scratch. So, we set out to find an easy way to re-create this puffy and cheesy deliciousness. I found a recipe online with instructions on how to make it in the blender – bingo! The first one we tried was a big fail – big. The second one we tried worked! They were puffy and cheesy and amazing! We were thrilled…and full.

Of course, we couldn’t leave well enough alone. We decided that there must be a way to make a sweet version of this recipe. To my surprise, I looked online and didn’t see any. I guess the internet doesn’t have the same sweet tooth that I do.

I sat and pondered this for while and realized that I’ve seen apple pie recipes with cheddar cheese in the crust, so maybe this would be a good place to start. I grated up some apple for the recipe and prepared the batter as directed, omitting the added salt because the cheddar cheese added enough salty balance. I added a few teaspoons of sugar too. I filled the mini muffin tins with the batter and then my soux chef gently pressed some apple shreds into each one.

We put them in the oven and crossed our fingers. We waited the long 15 minutes and watched them through the oven door. They puffed!

When we pulled them out of the oven, we could hardly wait to give them a try. We broke them open and the steam poured out and we tasted our little experiment. Let’s just say, I highly recommend waiting the 2-5 minutes to allow them to cool and set up a little bit. Otherwise the inside can get a little gummy and you burn the inside of your mouth.

We thought we had failed but were undeterred. We went on to try blending the apple in to the dough. This was a legit fail. They were flat, gummy and greasy. Just when we were about to give up, we went back and tasted the original attempt now that it was much cooler. They were delicious! We served them to the rest of the people at home and got thumbs up all around. In addition to coming up with an easy delicious treat, I had a great time working alongside my second oldest daughter as well. So grab your kid, or a kid, and make this recipe together.

Apple Cinnamon Brazilian Cheese Bites

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 15-20 min.

Ingredients

1 egg

1 cup of milk (I used 2%)

1/2 cup Virgin Coconut oil (melted)

5 ounces of grated Mild Cheddar Cheese

1/4 tsp baking powder

1½ Tbs sugar

1½ cups tapioca flour/starch

1 apple peeled and grated (with a food processor if you have one)

3 Tbs. cinnamon & sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 385º and lightly grease a nonstick mini-muffin tin with coconut oil.
Combine the first four ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
In a separate container combine the tapioca starch and baking powder.
Turn the blender on and slowly add the dry ingredients through the lid by the tablespoon.
When fully incorporated, cover the lid and turn up to high speed to insure everything is well mixed. The batter will be a little thicker than pancake batter.
Using a cookie scoop, add the batter to the muffin tin, stopping just below the top.
Place a scant teaspoon (or a pinch) of apple shreds in the center and press down gently.
Place in oven and bake for 15-20 min. until golden brown and puffed.
Allow to cool in the pan for 2-5 minutes and remove to a dish.
Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and sugar while hot.
These are best enjoyed warm.