Cheddar Cheese and Chive Popovers! This recipe is absolutely amazing. This is as close to FOOL-PROOF as popovers can be! You’ve got to try this!
You guys. . these popovers.
Magical.
A popover is a light, hollow roll made from an egg batter similar to that of Yorkshire pudding, typically baked in muffin tins or dedicated popover pans (as seen above), which have straight-walled sides rather than angled. Popovers impressively rise up and over the pans they’re baked in. They have a crisp exterior but a soft, pillowy interior and are just heavenly to eat.
I’ve had this popover pan for a few months now and just got around to using it. And I know these aren’t perfect but I still think they’re beautiful.
What I love about this recipe. No mixer or blender required. Just one bowl, a whisk and a rubber spatula.
Because who wants to mess with a blender? and I don’t know . . I kind of feel like you want keep it simple and do everything by hand with this one. Feels more like you are creating something. I made some more popovers using the same method, which I’m sharing tomorrow, and these popovers are standing up more so the no blender method works!
It’s really amazing what a few eggs + some butter + flour will give you. And I made these popovers with both regular and room temp eggs and milk. Both worked fine for me.
My little guy here is starting to deflate but I don’t care. These were so delicious and so easy to make. And in all my excitement and shooting photos, I forgot to pierce the sides with a knife. If you do this, the steam will escape and “the airy crowns will stay proud and puffy.”
Proud and puffy until . . you stick the entire thing into your mouth and devour.
And you can bake these in a regular muffin pan as well, so don’t take forever like me and just make these cheddar cheese and chive popovers! Next up, cinnamon sugar popovers. Wait for it. . .
They will be on the blog tomorrow.
And yes, I’m excited.
Cheddar Cheese and Chive Popovers
Equipment
- Popover pan or muffin tin
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or non-stick baking spray for greasing the pan
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
- 3/4 cup cheddar cheese freshly grated
- 1/4 cup chives finely diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F, and place your popover pan on a baking sheet in your oven to warm up while you are mixing your batter.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until frothy, about 1 minute. Add the flour and salt to egg mixture and whisk until batter is the consistency of heavy cream with some small lumps remaining. You want to see some small air bubbles because they are what will cause the popovers to rise but don't over mix. Add in the cheddar cheese and chives and mix again lightly.
- Remove your popover pan from the oven and grease or spray the muffin cups. Fill the cups 2/3 full (3/4 full for large popovers), and bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes*. Then, reduce the oven temp to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. (Do not open the oven! Opening the oven door in the first 20 minutes can cause them to collapse.)
- When they are brown and crusty, remove them from the oven, and make a small slit in their sides with a sharp knife. "Popovers lose their crunch if they linger in the pan, so turn them out on a wire rack immediately and poke a small opening in the side of each with a paring knife to let the steam escape." Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Using a Muffin Pan Instead of a Popover Pan
"Though a nonstick popover pan results in optimal height, a standard muffin tin works fine, too—but the popovers will be smaller. To make, only fill the outer cups of the standard muffin tin with popover batter; they will get better circulation in the oven. When baking, reduce cook time by 5 minutes."How to Store and Reheat Popovers
I do highly recommend making them the day of but if you absolutely have to- You can make the batter ahead of time and bake the popovers the next day or prepare a batch start to finish and freeze them for later or keep a few on your counter. Check out the tips below to keep your popovers fresh.- To make ahead: You can make the batter and refrigerate it for up to one day before baking. Just let the batter come to room temperature and whisk it well or whirl it in the blender for a few seconds before pouring it into the muffin tins.
- To store and reheat: Store baked and cooled popovers in a zip top bag for up to a day. They are still edible after a day, but they don’t taste as fresh. Simply reheat them on a baking sheet (or place them back into the muffin tin or popover pan and bake) at 350°F for five to 10 minutes.
- To freeze: Store fully baked and cooled popovers in a freezer safe zip top bag or any freezer safe air tight container. They will last for up to three months in the freezer.
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Perfect Popovers
