Simple Cheese Croquettes

"It's basically fried cheese"! That's what my 7 year old said when I made cheese croquettes today. As I've said before, cheese is very popular in my house. Well I have a simple and super tasty recipe that you should definitely try out if you're a fan of cheese!

Croquettes can be made in so many different ways. By adding mashed potatoes, crumbled bacon, diced ham, peppers, mashed cauliflower or almost anything else-the possibilities are endless.

Ingredients 

1/4 c butter

1/4 c flour

1 c milk

8 oz shredded cheese-I used Colby Jack this time

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

additional flour

2 large eggs

2-4 c Panko crumbs

vegetable oil

Directions

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over med heat. Add flour and whisk. Let the mixture cook for about 1-2 mins to get rid of the floury taste. Slowly add in milk while whisking and stir till mixture thickens. Add garlic powder, salt, pepper and shredded cheese. Stir with a wooden spoon till all the cheese is melted and incorporated. Pour the mixture into a freezer safe bowl. Let it cool in the freezer for 15-20 mins.

Once it's completely cooled, use your hands to roll the mixture into "meatball" sized balls and put on a pan lined with parchment paper or foil. If the balls start to get sticky, put them back in the freezer for 10 mins.

Use 3 med sized bowls. Add 1 cup of flour to one bowl, in the next bowl whisk 2 eggs and in the third bowl, add 2 cups of Panko crumbs. You could also use regular bread crumbs or cracker crumbs. Add a dash of salt and a dash of pepper to the crumbs and mix together. Roll each ball of cheese mixture in the flour till coated. Then roll in the egg wash and then the crumbs. Press the crumbs gently in to the cheese as you coat it. Set each coated cheese ball back on the pan till they are all coated.

In another medium saucepan, add vegetable oil till it is about half full. Heat over medium heat for about 5-7 mins. Sprinkle a few panko crumbs in to the oil. If they start to fry, your oil is ready. Add 3 croquettes to the hot oil and fry for 3-4 mins. Use a slotted spoon to turn the croquettes and fry for 3 more mins. Once they are a light golden brown, remove with your slotted spoon and lay them on a plate covered with paper towels. The temperature of the oil will cool slightly as the croquettes cook, so wait about 2 mins between each batch in order for the oil to heat up again. Let the croquettes cool for about 5 mins before eating.

They're wonderful with a dipping sauce of your choice also!

I hope you all enjoy this recipe and have fun adding different ingredients each time you make them!

Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought of this recipe. Have a great day!!