After I raved about my PBB&J Panini, another blogger left this comment: I might have to try this with our cafeteria’s panini machine!
What?? College cafeterias now have panini presses? Lucky undergrads—the only hot sandwiches our dorms served were blackened grilled cheeses that could’ve been used as charcoal to light a barbeque pit.
So Kate and I wrote back and forth, comparing ingredient notes (she loves the veggie/cheese/hummus combo!), until she responded, “I could probably come up with a dessert on the panini press.”
And with that, my mind started racing faster than a hamster in a squeaky exercise wheel. My thoughts darted to cookies, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, and brownies before finally landing on…
Pie!
Paninis and pies are actually pretty similar. They consist of some sort of filling between two layers of baked carbs. But until I figure out a contraption to bake a real 9”-round fruit-filled pie on my little panini press, I’ll stick to my modified version:
A blueberry pie panini!
Add a little extra yogurt (regular or frozen) on top to make the Panini à la mode!
- Preheat a Panini press.
- Spread 1½ teaspoons of yogurt on one slice of bread. Arrange the blueberries on top of the yogurt. Spread the remaining yogurt on the second slice of bread, and place that bread yogurt-side-down on top of the blueberries.
- Grill the sandwich on the Panini press for 3-4 minutes, or until it reaches the desired level of toastiness. Serve immediately.
This is so creative! I love the idea of a dessert panini, and blueberry pie sounds like a great place to start. I’ll have to try this sometime, maybe as a fun breakfast.
Thank you! I like your idea of eating the panini for breakfast. It’s so healthy that you might as well “indulge” in dessert for breakfast!
I’m famous! 😉
But for real, this looks INCREDIBLE. I will be sure to keep you up-to-date on taste testing all of these recipes as soon as the cafeteria has fruit other than bananas and apples. Come on, springtime! (That being said, I know your recipes don’t have to be taste tested … I just want to eat them!)
x
Thank you! I was really hoping that you’d like it. And of course I always need taste testers; I need to make sure my taste buds aren’t crazy and other people enjoy the recipes just as much as I do! :]
Spring is so close–almost time for strawberries and watermelon and other delicious fruit!
OHHMYGOODNESS brilliant!!!!!:):):) Can’t wait to try this. Seriously. I’ve been making a PBGB sandwich lately which is just PB+greek yogurt+bananas so this is just my idea of perfection:):):) wonderful idea!
Thanks!! Yummm, your PBGB sounds good too! I did something similar and made a PBB&J panini (peanut butter, banana, and jelly). Making the sandwich into a panini makes the fruit warm and slightly mushy, which contrasts beautifully with the toasted bread. I’m excited to hear what you think!
Yummm I heart heart heart paninis…one of my first jobs was an on campus restaurant and we woild make and serve made to order paninis to the students on campus..it was a big hit and I loved it! I love that you made a sweet one! Have you ever tried a nutella panini 🙂
Really?? What lucky students!! We didn’t have anything like that. There was a student-run sandwich shop, but they only made things off of their menu, not to order. I haven’t tried Nutella on a panini yet–I’m usually too tempted to lick the spread straight off of the knife so it never actually makes it to the bread!–but I’ll give it a try soon!