I Just Discovered This Shortcut for the Easiest, Most Poppable Weekday Breakfast

If there is anything that will make a weekday morning easier, I’m on board. Especially as we head back to school this year (literally and/or proverbially) and might need to take our breakfast out the door with us. In a perfect world, there's plenty of time to gather around the kitchen table to enjoy a beautiful omelet or tall stack of pancakes before starting our day. And though I am asked daily if I'll make pancakes, in reality it happens maybe every other week.

Well, leave it to the internet to give me the answer I didn't know I needed. When I saw a social media shortcut for making my family's favorite breakfast in a muffin pan, I knew it would be a hit in my house and a tasty, easy way to kick off a new season.

How to Make Pancakes in a Muffin Pan

According to the post from Kristin Miller, aka kristinnicolemiller_, a fellow mom of two on Instagram, all you need is:

• Pancake mix (or protein pancake mix)
• Water (or your preferred liquid)
• Favorite pancake toppings
• Mini muffin pan, greased

You are on your way to poppable pancakes in no time.

Simply mix the batter according to the directions on the box, pour it into the greased muffin pan, and add whatever toppings strike your fancy. In the video, Miller stirs in mini chocolate chips, blueberries, maple syrup, bananas and cinnamon, and almond butter—each in their own tidy row for a nutritious potpourri. She bakes them at 350 degrees F for about 12 minutes.

You could also try other fresh fruit like apples, fruit preserves, chopped nuts or nut butters, oats, coconut, or even Nutella.

Prepping these cute, portable, and delicious breakfast treats makes for a fun project to close out summer as well. Get the whole crew involved to customize the batches to their liking. That way, there won't be any complaints when it comes time to grab and go (not that I usually get complaints about pancakes anyway!). In our kitchen, we're adding mini chocolate chips and sprinkles.

It is beyond easy to use your favorite pancake mix for this method, but we also have a simple made-from-scatch version with these Pancake Poppers thanks to recipe creator ELLOWYN. Allrecipes community member Joseph Polito gave this recipe 5 stars and added helpful tips: "My kids absolutely love these! I put a few mini chocolate chips in each one. A few times I have put collagen protein in the mix just to get a little protein boost. It didn’t change the flavor at all. I do usually have to bake them for 11-12 minutes. I’ll also double the recipe because they freeze great for a quick breakfast."

How to Store and Serve Muffin Pan Pancake Poppers

If you are making these to eat right away, good for you. Pop them out of the muffin pan and dig in. But if you are like me and make them ahead to save time in the mornings, they hold up nicely in the refrigerator or freezer. I store mine in resealable plastic bags or glass containers. Heat them back up in the toaster oven for a few minutes or the microwave for about 20 seconds from the fridge, and a little longer if frozen.

Top the pancake poppers with syrup, your favorite garnish, or nothing at all. A hearty, homemade breakfast has never been easier.