The first time I actually had a popover was when I lived in Minneapolis and had lunch at Dayton’s Department Store. It was hot and fresh out of the oven and such an unexpected treat with my bowl of soup. I was hooked. Since then, I’ve made my fluffy popovers with cinnamon honey butter and herb butter for my family and friends over and over again. The cinnamon honey butter for the kids and the herb butter for the adults. Don’t get me wrong, plenty of the adults are digging into the sweet butter but I like to give choices. These are easy to make and you can use a muffin tin but I do own a popover pan that really makes them high and perfectly fluffy. For a knock out presentation, I serve these popovers in a napkin-lined basket. I put the butter in a piping bag with a star tip and make adorable little star shaped mounds of butter!
To get started, heat your over to 425 degrees F. and spray a 12-cup muffin tin or 2 6-muffin popover tins with cooking spray. Drizzle one tablespoon of butter into the sprayed cups. Heat in the oven for 5 minutes. This is the first tip for making the perfect popovers.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE PERFECT POPOVER EVERY TIME
Here are five tips for making perfect popovers:
- Temperature is Critical. Be sure you preheat the oven to 425 degrees F then heat the muffins tins in the oven until it is piping hot. That butter should be sizzling…this is what causes that dramatic rise in the popover. In addition, make sure your ingredients are all room temperature (especially the eggs and milk). Otherwise, you undo all that preheating and sizzling and you won’t get the rise!
- The Batter Must Rest. Start by mixing the batter until just combined. Let it rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. (Are you seeing a pattern here?) This will allow the flour to fully hydrate and let air bubble to develop. A rested batter will give you higher and more consistent popovers when they are baked.
- Don’t Open the Oven Door. Yup, grandma was right on this one. Resist the urge to peek during the first 20-25 minutes. Opening the door causes fluctuations in temperature and can make the popovers collapse. Helpful hint: Use your oven’s light if you want to check. (I know, I didn’t even know that was a “thing” until a few years ago…lol.)
- Proper Pan Preparation. We discussed two muffin tin options but really, if you have a popover pan, you’ve got the right tool for the job. Make sure they are well greased. I used cooking spray, but you could rub butter on the cups (Wow, won’t that taste good!). Be sure to include the top rims of the cups so nothing sticks. Only fill about 2/3 full to allow room to grow!
- Create Steam Vents. This tip often gets over looked but after your popovers are fully risen and golden brown (about 25 minutes), pierce each one with the tip of a small, sharp knife. This releases some steam and prevents the popovers from getting soggy. Return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes to crisp up.
To continue making the popovers, mix the eggs, milk, salt, and one tablespoon of butter together in a bowl. Sift the cup of flour over the wet mixture and fold it together.
Take the heated pan out of the oven and pour the batter into the cups (about 2/3 of the way full).
Bake 10 – 12 minutes then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 10 – 12 minutes until golden brown. Follow step 5 above and release some steam with the tip of a knife, then return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes.
Pop them out of their pan and serve with either the cinnamon honey butter or herb butter. (Or, if you are like me, with both!)
HOW TO MAKE CINNAMON HONEY BUTTER
Make sure your butter is room temperature to make this easy to make. Using a hand mixer, whip the butter, cinnamon and honey in a small bowl. Spoon into into a small cocotte and refrigerate or if you are piping into shapes, put the butter into your pastry bag and make stars (or desired shapes). Pipe them on a plate and put in the fridge until ready to serve.
HOW TO MAKE HERB BUTTER
Chop up your herbs. You can use any mix of herbs you have on hand. Parsley, thyme, oregano and dill all work. Chop them fine.
Add them to a bowl with the room temperature butter and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. If you used salted butter, omit this extra salt. Using a hand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Put in a crock and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Did you like this recipe? Did you serve your popovers with something other than these butters? Let me know. I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment and/or rating below.
Are you looking for other bread options to offer with your meals? Try some of these:
Fluffy Popovers with Cinnamon Honey Butter and Herb Butters
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. Butter – melted
- 2 Eggs
- 1 ¼ Cup of Milk
- ¾ Tsp. of Salt
- 1 Cup of Flour
CINNAMON HONEY BUTTER
- 1 Stick of Unsalted butter
- ½ Tsp. of Cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp. of Honey
HERB BUTTER
- 1 Stick of Unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp. Mixed chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary)
- 1/2 Tsp. Salt
Instructions
- Heat your over to 425 degrees F.
- Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray and drizzle one Tbsp. of butter into the sprayed cups. Heat in the oven for 5 minutes until the pans are "screaming" hot.
- Mix the eggs, milk, salt, and one Tbsp. of butter together in a bowl. Sift the cup of flour over the wet mixture and fold it together.
- Take the heated pan out of the oven and pour the batter into the cups (about 2/3 of the way full).
- Bake 10 – 12 minutes then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 10 – 12 minutes until golden brown. Pierce the tops with a sharp knife to release some steam, then put back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes to crisp up.
- Pop them out of their pan and serve with either the cinnamon honey butter or herb butter. (Or, if you are like me, with both!)
CINNAMON HONEY BUTTER and/or HERB BUTTER
- Whip the butter and ingredients for the type of butter you are making together either by hand or which a hand beater. Serve in a side dish.
