Puff Pancakes a la Cupcake Style

My mom used to make puff pancakes a lot when I was growing up; only we called them german pancakes (El's family calls them stuff and puffs, pronounced "stoof and poofs"). I was never a huge fan because the only thing my family put on them was powdered sugar. You will soon learn that I dislike almost everything (feel, taste, texture) about powdered sugar, except for the way it looks. I saw on Pinterest the other day that someone put pure maple syrup on their puff pancakes and I though to myself "Well I really like syrup! Maybe I'll give them a try." And this is what I eventually came up with: 

They were actually quite delicious! I followed the recipe from this site: http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/12/loopy-breakfast-goodness/

 Well, I followed the recipe the first time. I changed it for the second try; and the third; and maybe the fourth. And ended up with something quite close to the original but much better (in my opinion) but that's how cooking goes! Try this and that and then go back to the basics. Anyway, here is my modified recipe; it's more suited for the small, cupcake tin puff pancakes and tastes sooo delicious. (Side note: the great thing about cooking these in the cupcake tins as opposed to one big cake pan is that they cook SO fast. They're done before you even have time to start wishing they were.)

Puff Pancakes a la Cupcake Style

2 eggs

2 tsp. sugar

pinch of salt (or more, depending on your taste. El loves salt so we 

put more in just for him)

1/3 c. flour

1/3 c. milk

2 tbs. butter

(You might notice that I used the exact same amount of butter but for a smaller recipe. Don't worry, it's not a typo. More butter is just always better :))

Place the egg in a blender and mix until a light yellow color (as seen below):

You could probably use a hand mixer for this if you don't have a blender, but I would highly recommend the blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix in the blender. Spray 12 muffin tins with pam (or, if you're really into butter, butter them). Right before you pour the pancake mixture in, give it one last whirl in the blender. This will make them really puff up. Pour about 1/2 inch of batter into each tin. It doesn't look like much, but they need a lot of room to expand. I've had them hit the roof of the oven before; no bueno. 

Bake at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes depending on how dark you want them. 

Disclaimer: I have an old (we're talking 1980's) gas oven which I have found runs a little hot. So I actually bake mine at 375 and then reduce the heat to 325. You probably know your oven better than I do so judge accordingly. 

They'll look about like this when they're done. Perfect little cups just waiting to be filled with whatever strikes your fancy and then consumed in the blink of an eye. 

Don't even wait for them to cool. We pull ours out of the pan almost as soon as they come out of the oven and eat them right then. Since they're so small, they'll cool really quickly so if you want to melt some butter in them (like we do; I'm telling you, we love butter) eat them RIGHT NOW!

I really like adding some fresh fruit on top of the butter and syrup but you can dress them up however you please.