Popovers with Strawberry Butter from Neiman Marcus are amazing buttery pastries that make a perfect meal starter during the holidays or anytime.
When my friends and family come over during the holiday season, there is one dish popular that is the most requested. The dish is homemade Popovers with Strawberry Butter.
I first had these amazing buttery pastries many years ago with Mr. JOC while we were still dating. Before we had our children, Mr. JOC and I enjoyed shopping at Union Square in San Francisco on weekends and stopping by The Rotunda in Neiman Marcus for lunch.
While waiting for their famous Lobster Club Sandwich, The Rotunda served a complementary popover with strawberry butter instead of bread. As I slathered strawberry butter on airy and fluffy warm popover, I fell in love with it immediately and craved more.
What Are Popovers?
They are similar to English Yorkshire puddings. In the UK, Yorkshire puddings are usually served with roast meat and gravy and are a staple of the traditional British Sunday roast.
Neiman Marcus shares this recipe in their cookbook as well as on the last page of the children’s menu in the restaurant. When I discovered I could easily make these at home, I was overjoyed.
Making Popovers at Home
Why do I personally like them so much? A couple of reasons; first they are super easy to make and secondly, I simply can’t resist tasty pastry! As I am writing this post I could already taste them again.
The best way to enjoy them is straight out of the oven. As you rip apart the crispy outer shells, warm steam escapes from the slightly doughy and soft bread-like inside. Smear on the tasty homemade strawberry butter and see it melt on the warm popovers and blends together, then take a bite. Yummy!
Popover Pans vs. Muffin Pans
You can use muffin pans by using ever other tin instead of purchasing new popover pans. However, I’ve heard from JOC readers that the result is not as good as ones made in popover pans.
I recommend these from Amazon. I know this pan only makes popovers, but trust me you will be making these over and over again. 😉
This recipe makes 12 popovers and each pan can make 6. I have 2 of these specialized pans so I can make the second batch while the first batch is cooling down.
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Popovers with Strawberry Butter
Video
Ingredients
- 3½ cups whole milk
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 6 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (at room temperature)
- cooking spray
For the Strawberry Butter
- ½ cup unsalted butter (8 Tbsp; at room temperature)
- ¼ cup strawberry jam
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. For this recipe, you will need 2 popover pans. To use muffin tins instead, use every other tin so that the popovers have plenty of room to expand OR pour only half full with batter. If you want to make just 6 popovers, hover your cursor over “12“ servings and move the slide to the left to change the servings to 6.
- Place 3½ cups whole milk in a bowl (or 4-cup measuring cup) and microwave on high for 2 minutes, or until warm to the touch.
- Sift 4 cups all-purpose flour (plain flour), 1½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and 1 tsp baking powder together into a large mixing bowl.
- Add 6 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, until foamy and pale in color.
- Turn down the mixer to low and add the warm milk.
- Gradually add the flour mixture and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
- Turn the machine off and let the batter rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
- When it’s almost 1 hour, preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Place each of the popover pans on a baking sheet and spray the pans with cooking spray.
- Fill the popover pans three-quarters full with the batter.
- Transfer to the oven and bake on 425ºF (220ºC) for 15 minutes. Then, turn down the oven temperature to 375ºF (190ºC) and bake for 30 minutes, or until the popovers are a deep golden brown on the outside and airy on the inside.
To Make the Strawberry Butter
- While baking the popovers, make the strawberry butter. Place ½ cup unsalted butter in the stand mixer and beat on high until light and fluffy. Add ¼ cup strawberry jam and beat until well combined. To save the strawberry butter, keep it in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2–3 days.
To Serve
- Serve the popovers warm with strawberry butter on the side.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container (or bag) and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for a month.
Notes
Equipment
- 2 popover pans
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on November 11, 2012. Images and contents were updated on October 19, 2014.
Can you make dough ahead of time??
Hi Joyce! I have never done this but I googled and found that you could make ahead (and keep in the fridge). Make sure to let it stand at room temp for 30-60 minutes before so the batter is not cold. Hope this works! Let us know if you try it. 🙂
Could you use almond milk?
Hi Martha! I’ve never tried it but I’ve seen some recipes with almond milk before. Maybe google to see if it works? Sorry I’m not 100% sure, but I assume it’ll work…
Hi Nami,
Thanks for the yummy looking recipe for popovers! I was wondering if I could make the batter the night before, store it in the fridge, then take out to room temperature before baking these? Thank you!
Whoops, I just saw Kelly’s comment and your reply! Should have read through the comments first… never mind! Thank you!
No problem! Thank you for reading the previous comments to check. 🙂 I’m not sure if Kelly would respond but if not, I think it’ll work as long as you bring to room temp. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I just wanted to let you know how much everyone enjoyed these popovers for Thanksgiving! I actually ended up getting the mini-popover pans, and the popovers still came out pretty large. Since they are smaller, I had to try to adjust the cooking time. The first batch I made, I baked them at 450F for 15 minutes, then turned the oven to 375F and baked for another 20 minutes. I think they turned out a tad over-done, so on my second batch, I baked for 10 min at 450F, then for 15 min at 375F. They were better, but both batches were good! And the whipped berry butter took it over-the-top good! I can’t wait to make them again. Thanks so much for providing the recipe! Oh, and I ended up making the batter the same day, so I did not try the overnight method.
Hi Tiphanie! You’re absolutely so sweet. Thanks so much for your kind feedback. Oh yeah, my popovers are big (but these are just like Neiman Marcus’s size). I can eat two with the whipped butter on top of main dish… LOL. SO good. I’m so happy everyone enjoyed it. Mini ones must be cuter! Thank you for providing the temperature and cooking time for future JOC readers who are curious about the mini popover pans! xoxo
“cookbook as we as on the last page of the children’s menu in the restaurant. ”
This is probably supposed to be “as well as on”
” Place each of a popover pan on a baking sheet ” should be “each of the popover pans”
Hello Mike! Thanks so much for correcting my English! You’ll find lots of English errors on my blog…. I read many times before I publish a post, but I don’t always catch my mistake or I simply don’t know how to explain in English. Hope you don’t mind…. 🙂
do you think could make the batter at night and let it rest in the fridge overnight then bake in the morning? Not sure my kids are patient enough to wait for it to rest in the morning!!
Hi Kelly! I have never done this but I googled and found that you could make ahead (and keep in the fridge) however make sure to let it stand at room temp for 30-60 minutes before so the batter is not cold. Hope this works! Let us know if you try it. 🙂
Hi Kelly,
I was wondering if you ever tried the overnight method, and how it turned out for you? Thanks!
Hi! I just made these, and I ended up with 22 dense, eggy muffins (since I made these in a muffin tin). They taste great, but I’m so disappointed by the texture. I think my mistake was opening the oven door while they were baking. For other people who want to try this recipe out, this is crucial to know – do NOT open your oven door at any time except for when you’re about to take them out of the oven. Also, I think the 30 minutes in the oven at 375 is a bit too long since the sides on my popovers are slightly burnt. I’ll try this one more time, though, since the muffins I got were still delicious!
Hi Andrew! NEVER open the oven while cooking. I don’t know how long you were opening the oven door, but it immediately reduce the oven temperature and the popovers will deflate. The food goes in shock with the sudden decrease in temperature. The dense problem should not occur next time.
When the popover goes up, there need some space. Is it possible to use lower rack? That way maybe there will be enough space to go up? Each oven is a bit different, so please adjust the timing. If it’s golden brown, it should be ready.
Hope next one will come out perfectly! Good luck Andrew!
Great video, great recipe. But PLEASE – ! What is the music playing in the background? Must have.
Hi Suzanne! Thank you for watching the video! It’s called “Fire Dancer” and I got it from Audio Network. 🙂
http://us.audionetwork.com/production-music/fire-dancer_60139.aspx
I’ve made the popovers and they are spectacular. I’m wondering if you use whole milk, and what flour do you use? I hope to have your early response as I’d like to make them again this weekend. Thanks!
Hi Kathy! I do use whole milk but I have made with 2% too and it worked fine. I love King Arthur brand flour. I believe it tastes much better. 🙂
Hey Nami! I was just wondering why you have to let the batter rest for an hour. Is there a way to bypass this wait time?
Thanks!
Hi Gin! It relaxes the gluten in the batter, which will make the final product less tough and more tender. It’s very common practice for pancakes, crepes, etc. I’d recommend at least 30 minutes… It really makes a difference! 🙂
Nami! I made these popovers today! What a hit and so delicious! I’m using the leftovers for breakfast, drizzle some maple syrup or maybe some whipped cream and strawberries. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi June! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe and thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
Just discovered your blog!! I am also from the SF Bay Area and I love popovers!! Will try your recipe.
Love all your other recipes as well!! All food that I love to eat. Keep up the good work!!
Hi Ceci! Welcome to my blog and thank you for your comment! Nice to know you’re from here too! I hope you enjoy these popovers. Highly addictive! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 🙂
I love your story about how you came to make the popovers and they look delicious! I am thinking of adding them to my Christmas dinner. Also, the rotunda is gorgeous. I used to go there with my friend for afternoon tea all the time when I lived in San Francisco.
I also wanted to say that I’m a huge fan of your website. I live in the Midwest now and had a hard time going without good Japanese food. The restaurants are terrible where I live. Now I always keep a stock of your salted salmon recipe in the freezer, along with dashi for making udon. My boyfriend just loves it when I make your teriyaki salmon and he even got into the kitchen to make unagi. Thanks so much for making amazing dinners possible!
Hi Jessica! I haven’t tried the afternoon tea at the Rotunda, but heard great things about it!
Thank you so much for your kind words about my blog. I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my blog and have been cooking recipes from my blog. How wonderful that you have salted salmon in the freezer! 😀 I love hearing such inspiring stories from readers and thank you for sharing!!
It’s been years since I tried making popovers, but mine never looked as impressive as yours! I am salivating right now…!
Hi Sumi! This is a fool proof recipe! Since I made these for the first time, they always look like this. They rise very high that top area get darker a bit in the oven… but other than that, everything is PERFECT!!! Hope you will try this recipe! 🙂
Just made these! I don’t have a popover pan so I just filled up my muffin pan 1/2 way with batter just like you suggested.
Verdict? DELICIOUS! Nice and crunchy on the outside with a soft and moist inside. Totally making these again on a rainy day!
Hi Rachel! Thank you so much for trying this recipe out. I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these popovers. Aren’t they addicting? 🙂 Thank you for your feedback!
Beautiful post! Nami, you’re getting so good at baking and making desserts! I wish I were your neighbor, hehe!
Thanks Kim! 🙂 You are close enough but you should move closer so we can always hang out. 🙂 These popovers are so good and I need to make them again soon!