Pancake Puffs Are Fun and Yummy!

Last year I asked for a Pancake Puff pan for Mother’s Day. DH thought it would be another one of those gadgets that would take up space in our tiny, already overstocked kitchen. No Pancake Puff pan arrived and Mother’s Day came and went. Not only was I disappointed, my kids were totally crushed. My boys don’t need much persuasion to eat anything covered with maple syrup, but my daughter has an aversion to most solid foods. I have tinkered with my pancake “recipe” – which is actually pancake mix with added whole wheat flour and PediaSure instead of milk or water – and now she actually downs plates of pancakes, so surely the Pancake Puff would be all the more appealing. Not to mention all the other treats I could turn out for desserts and bake sales (no more tired rice cereal treats from our house!).

Then the holidays began to loom in the near future, and DH and the Beloved Offspring searched for the perfect gift for me. After many failed attempts he finally asked me what I wanted, and I jumped at the chance – A Pancake Puff! He was cornered, and I had him right where I wanted him!

On Christmas Day we welcomed the cast-iron Pancake Puff into our household, and the next morning we set about to make our first batch. I had secretly been doing research online, reading consumer reviews and comments, so I was prepared for the learning curve about how to flip them over just right, how long to heat the pan and how melted butter worked better than non-stick spray. I am a notoriously poor cook (must be all that recipe tinkering I am forced to do) but my little Pancake Puffs turned out great! And they got better and better the more I practiced my flipping technique.

I had family in town, so I whipped up a batch of cake puffs for dessert. They also got rave reviews, although I had no idea how very many puffs one little box of cake mix would make! I was shackled to the stove until all the batter had been puffed. But we have plenty of yummy, fluffy puffs to share with neighbors!

I mentioned my Pancake Puff to others, and soon we were swapping ideas and comparing results. I think maybe we have started a little cult. I was blown away at the idea of making corn bread puffs, while my egg-and-cheese puffs had everyone drooling with possibilities.

Bottom line – the Pancake Puff is fun! It pretty much works the way the ad says it will, and although we haven’t had any luck filling our puffs yet so far it’s been a big hit with my family and friends. I would say it was certainly worth the wait!