I know exactly what you’re having for breakfast tomorrow, or Sunday at the latest. You may think you’ve already got the menu planned—Apple Cinnamon Whole-Wheat Pancakes, perhaps, or Strawberry-Rhubarb Bread, or heck, maybe even a Bacon & Egg Pie.

Well, no. That’s not what you’re making. You’re making Cinnamon Sugar Popovers. And you’re going to spend the rest of the weekend sighing with satisfaction and sending me thank-you emails.

I’ve been in love with popovers my whole life. They’re a reminder of my childhood and my honeymoon, and I shared the basic recipe just three days after I launched this blog, nearly eight years ago. I’m delighted to report that Harry is every bit as devoted as I am, having eaten his first one before he was a year old. And now, after all this time, I’ve upped the ante.

Take the crisp-outside/eggy-custardy-inside perfection that is a popover, and brush it with melted butter. Then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar—sparingly, if you’re like me and want the flavor without further addicting your already sugar-junkied child, or generously, if you’re only satisfying yourself. The end result is something like a cinnamon donut, only much, much, much better.

You’re welcome.

Cinnamon Sugar Popovers

Inspired by The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Makes 12

If you use a light hand with the cinnamon sugar, you’ll have enough left to make cinnamon toast every day for at least a week, maybe more.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided, plus softened butter for greasing pans
3 large eggs, at room temperature [I’ll often use 2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites]
1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature [I use 1%]
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

1. Generously grease muffin tins, popover pans, or custard cups with softened butter. You’ll need enough to make 12 popovers.
2. Put 2 tablespoons of the melted butter plus the eggs, milk, and salt into the blender, and blend for a few seconds. Add the flour and blend until completely combined—scrape down the sides if you see white clumps of flour. The batter will be thin.
3. Fill the popover pans less than halfway and bake for 28-30 minutes—don’t open the oven door any sooner.
4. While they’re baking, combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. As soon as the popovers are cool enough to handle, remove them one by one from the pans and brush all over with the remaining melted butter and quickly sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. I find it easiest to do this over the serving bowl, so any extra falls right in—at the end, I give the whole thing a toss. (If you’re not concerned about your kids overdosing on sugar, you can also put the entire batch of cinnamon sugar in a shallow bowl and roll the buttered popovers to coat them more completely.)
5. Serve warm, with more butter if you’re feeling decadent.

MAKE BABY FOOD: I’d skip the cinnamon sugar, but the popovers themselves are fine as finger food. That custardy center made a 9-month-old me ecstatic, I’ll bet.

baking