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Orange & Dark Chocolate Popovers

Bread, Breakfast, Desserts, Food, Sweet
By Emma Chapman

IMG_3435There are two foods that I strongly associate with my grandmother, Norma Jean. They are pineapple upside-down cake and popovers. 

I know. She’s a cool lady. I’m pretty sure if anyone associates any food with me it’s probably pizza and hot fudge sundaes. Which are delicious, don’t get me wrong. But somehow I feel my grandma found two amazingly delicious foods that still somehow seem classy and interesting. Which is pretty much how I would describe her. 🙂

IMG_3408If you’ve never had a popover before, it might look it a little strange to you. I guess they kind of look like bread cupcakes, huh? Well, they’re not. They are very light and airy, as you can probably guess, but they also have a slightly eggy/custard taste. To me, it’s similar to french toast. 

One thing I love about popovers is you can easily adapt them into a sweet or savory treat. This gives them the ability to be served nearly any time of day if you want. You can make a cinnamon version for breakfast served with butter and maple syrup. You can make a cheddar-and-chives version to serve alongside soup for lunch. Or you can add a little orange zest, top these with dark chocolate glaze, and just like magic you’ve got dessert! I went with the last option, of course.

IMG_3429There’s just something festive about orange and dark chocolate. It’s almost a holiday thing.

IMG_3376Orange & Dark Chocolate Popovers, makes one dozen mini size.
Adapted from Dark Chocolate Popovers via marthastewart.com

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest (or whatever you can get out of one orange)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chips
water to thin the chocolate (I used about 2 tablespoons)

First, it’s helpful if the eggs are at room temperature. I forgot to set mine out ahead of time, so I immersed the eggs in warm water for about five minutes just to take the chill off.

IMG_3379In a bowl, press together (using your clean fingertips) the sugar and orange zest. This will help to release oils and make everything taste even more orange-y. To the ingredients in the bowl, add the flour and salt; stir to combine.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. You want to incorporate some air into the batter so really whisk those eggs for a full minute! Then stir in the flour mixture until the batter is just combined.

Preheat the oven to 450°F with the popover pan in the oven as it warms up. Once preheated, remove the pan, lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray, and fill each cup 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the temperature down to 350°F and continue baking for another 10-12 minutes until the popovers look golden and crusty.

*You can use a regular muffin pan to make popovers. The shape will be slightly different and this may change your bake time by a few minutes. But as long as you’re willing to keep an eye on them as they bake, you really don’t have to purchase a special pan for these.

IMG_3389For the chocolate sauce, microwave the chocolate until completely melted. I will microwave for 30 seconds, then give it stir, then microwave another 30 seconds, and so on until melted. Then stir in water until you achieve a pourable consistency. You can make your chocolate either quite thick or runny based on how much water you add.

Pour the warm chocolate over the still-warm popovers. Sprinkle on a bit more orange zest.

IMG_3413I like to serve these with an orange slice for color, health, and just so people know what they’re getting into. Enjoy! xo. Emma

Credits // Author: Emma Chapman, Photography by: Sarah Rhodes and Emma Chapman

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