I am a complete sucker for baked treats and simple sugary carbs. Walking into a kitchen that smells of batters baking — the floral aroma of vanilla filling the air, sugar caramelizing — comforts me. So I blame my children’s sweet tooth on genetics. My whole family loves all things baked. But rather than completely deny ourselves the simple pleasure of baking, I create healthier, portion-controlled versions of our family favorites. Enter the popover!
Popovers have lots of heft and volume, but most of it comes from air. So we can scratch the sweet itch while limiting the damage of loading up on sugary treats.
My mini strawberry popovers have the subtle tang of the strawberries underscored by a drizzle of lemony glaze on top. There also is just a tiny touch of basil in the batter (which you can skip if your kids are in that “won’t eat anything green” phase). While I use all-purpose flour in this recipe (whole-wheat flour just doesn’t get the fluffy lift we love), these little guys are so tiny and airy that you can have a couple of them for just 100 calories.
