Easy Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)

1. Preheat the oven and prepare a mini muffin tin:

   Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread a small amount olive oil around the insides of each well of a non-stick mini muffin tin.
2. Blend the ingredients:

   Put all of the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. You may need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender so that everything gets blended well.

   Tip:

   At this point, you can cover the batter and store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Before baking, let the chilled batter come to room temperature and give it a whisk. Pour into the muffin tin and proceed with the recipe.
3. Pour into the mini muffin tin:

   Pour the batter into the prepared mini muffin tin not quite to the top; leave about 1/8 inch from the top.
4. Bake:

   Bake at 400°F in the oven for 15-20 minutes until all puffy and nicely browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for a few minutes.
   

   Eat while warm or at room temperature (they’re best when fresh). Note that Brazilian cheese bread is very chewy, a lot like Japanese mochi.

   Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for 1 week. Reheat for several seconds in the microwave or for a 1 to 2 minutes in the toaster oven before serving. They can also be frozen for up to 1 month and reheated in a toaster oven or low oven until thawed and crisp.

Bonus Recipe

When consulting my Brazilian friend Fernanda of Chucrute Com Salsicha for this post, she told me that although she makes the cheese bread the quick way in a blender, one of her favorite recipes comes from her friend Pat, which incorporates mashed potatoes and requires kneading by hand. It's extra work, but Fernanda says the results are great. You can find the original recipe in Portuguese on Fernanda's site here: Pao de queijo da Pat. And here is Fernanda's translation:

1 kg tapioca flour [polvilho azedo]
1 kg potato, cooked in water and mashed
250 ml milk at room temperature
250 ml vegetable oil
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 queso fresco or panela grated [1 pound]
6 free range eggs

Put the tapioca flour in a bowl. Add the potato still hot using a potato masher. Add salt. Mix very well using your hands. Add milk and continue working the dough with your hands. Add vegetable oil. Continue working. Add the grated cheese, and at last the eggs. Add 1 teaspoon of anise seeds for a special touch. The dough needs to get very silky and be moldable. If it is breaking, add one more egg. Make little round breads, and bake at 450oF for 20 minutes. The dough can be frozen.