In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and buttermilk. Then in the bowl of a stand mixer, or with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until very foamy, soft peaks form.

Add the dry mixture to the buttermilk mixture and stir until just combined; a few small lumps are OK. Then use a rubber spatula to fold the egg whites into the batter. You want to fold in just until they are combined; don’t over mix.

Heat your pancake puff pan over low/medium heat. Once warmed gently, spray with nonstick cooking spray (I hold my pan over the sink as I do this so any excess can roll off), and fill each hole with one tablespoon of batter. Then add a teaspoon of filling and cover with just a bit more batter (about 1/2 tablespoon or a little less). Allow to cook for a couple minutes, then use a small wooden chopstick or the end of a wooden spoon to gently flip each pancake puff.

If you’ve never made these before, this is honestly just as easy as flipping a pancake – might take you a time or two to get the hang of it, but it’s an imprecise and easy thing to do once you try. Do use a wooden chopstick or other small wooden stick to turn these so you don’t scrape the coating of the pan in the process. Once flipped, allow each puff to cook for another couple of minutes. After your first batch, check one to make sure they are cooking through all the way and adjust your heat if needed before starting the next batch.