When I was ten years old, my parents got American Girl dolls for both me and my sister (Molly for me, Kirsten for Raina). We had been begging for them for several years before they finally broke down and bought them, so it was a huge excitement for us. I spent about a year totally in love with my doll before the demands of middle school and being a pre-teen started to take over.

Traditionally, one of the Christmas gifts that my mom typically gives me is a sizable stack of second hand books that she picks up throughout the course of the year at thrift stores and used bookshops. This year, at the very bottom of that stack was an American Girl Cookbook. It belongs to Felicity, a doll that didn't exist when I was growing up, but is very cool nonetheless. I spent a little time flipping through it today and it seems like a great cookbook to use with kids, as it lays out the steps easily and clearly and none of the recipes are particularly challenging. One that particularly appeals to me is the one for Breakfast Puffs. They seem to be like popovers, although without the aggressive popping. They'd make a great cooking project to do with young ones, especially if you are looking for something to do with kids who are still out of school on winter break. The recipe is after the jump.

Breakfast Puffs
from Felicity's Cookbook

butter to grease muffin pan
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Apple butter, jam or honey (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease muffin tin with butter and put in oven to heat.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over low heat. While butter melts, beat eggs in small bowl. Add milk and melted butter to eggs and mix well. Stir flour and salt together in medium bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined.

Remove hot muffin pan from oven. Spoon batter into cups until each is about 2/3 full. Bake the puffs at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Remove from oven when tops are brown. Use a butter knife to loosen the puffs from the tins. Arrange them on a serving plate and eat with apple butter, jam or honey while still warm.