Puffy Popovers

We are snowed in. Utterly and completely. Being stuck in the house is a great excuse to clean the house, organize, and of course, daydream. As I was staring at the tree tops filled with puffy snow, I couldn't help but think of popovers and a recipe I had been wanting to try. So this morning, at 7 a.m. sharp, I sat up and declared to myself that I was making popovers for breakfast. This recipe is so easy it's almost criminal. Not only that but it will fulfill any donut fantasies that you may have with probably 1/100th of the fat of a regular donut. This was also the perfect excuse for me to try out a package of coconut sugar that my sister, J, had just sent me last week from California. I am a coconut sugar convert now! It's made from the flower nectar of the blossoming coconut palm and the minimal process it takes to make has a minimal impact on the environment. The taste of it is amazing also -- a little caramelization and nuttiness. I preferred rolling the popovers in just plain coconut sugar. If you can't get your hands on coconut sugar, the sugar/cinnamon concoction is very delicious as well.

Puffy Popovers
recipe adapted from David Lebovitz' recipe from NY Times and Maida Heatter's Great Book of Desserts

2 TBSP melted butter
3 large eggs
1 Cup 2% milk, or whole milk
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup flour

topping:
softened or melted butter
coconut sugar

1. Brush melted butter in popover mold or I used a regular sized muffin tin mold.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F.
3. In a mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the butter, eggs, milk, salt, sugar and mix.
4. Add the flour and mix well.
5. Using a ladle, fill each mold 1/2 or 2/3 the way high.
6. Bake 20-25 minutes or until your popovers are puffed and nicely browned.

Once out of the oven, the popovers should come out of the molds quite easily. Cool on a wire rack. After a couple of minutes, brush a popover with some softened or melted butter and roll it around in the coconut sugar. Eat immediately.

If you do not have coconut sugar, then combine:

2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

and roll in this sugar instead.
Makes 10 popovers.

who wouldn't think of a popover while staring at this tree??!!