gimme some oven

Apparently I have Germany on the mind this month.  I’m listening to a book on tape during my commute (trying to break my cell-phone-while-driving habit!) about German history.  And reading a fictional book with German characters.  And of course…listening to Heidi Klum bid her famous “Auf Wiedersehen” to an unlucky contestant every Wednesday night on Project Runway.

So it makes perfect sense, as I now realize, that this would be the month to finally try this recipe for adorable mini German pancakes that I had bookmarked!  I’ve always wanted to try the normal-sized German pancakes.  But for some odd reason (ironic because I can consume plates and plates of other carbs), it’s rare that I ever make it through an entire pancake before feeling full.  So when I saw a recipe for these little guys, it seemed like a perfect compromise!

Happy to say that they are as delightful as they look.  The entire “making” and “baking” process, in fact, was fun from start to finish!  L-O-V-E-D mixing up the batter in the blender (so easy and speedy!), and had a little too much fun peeking in the oven every few minutes to see the muffins puff up near the end.  And then…deflate into the pancakes we all know and still love.  :)

All in all, a fun, delicious breakfast that I will definitely be revisiting soon.   Sehr gut.

Pop-Up Muffins (German Pancakes)
From Good Life {eats} and Make & Takes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• dash salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp orange zest (optional)
• assorted condiments for serving

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Blend first seven ingredients (milk thru orange zest) in a blender.  Be careful to see that any flour clumps get well-blended. Grease muffin tins well and distribute batter evenly between 24 tins.  (My tins were slightly less than half-full.) Bake for 15 minutes, or until puffy and golden on top.

Served with your favorite toppings.  (Mine included sliced strawberries, maple syrup, and a light dusting of powdered sugar.)

Ali’s Tip:

If you’re going to make these without paper or foil muffin liners, be sure to grease the muffin tins very well!  Otherwise these little guys will s-t-i-c-k. :)

Also, just wanted to note that the photo above was taken 30 seconds after these emerged from the oven.  In the time it took me to run and grab my camera, the muffins went from being completely puffed-up and round to sunken in and flat (as pictured).  This would be a fun little transition to watch with kiddos!