Cherry Chocolate Pancakes

I know, call me crazy, I have managed to get not one, but two posts up this crazy busy lovely summer! It is, however cherry season, and I just couldn't let it pass without paying homage to some of the summer's best.  We love fresh cherries so we try to get our fill when they are in season.  Otherwise, they're like $5 a pound!  Who pays that? (Ok, I'm sure some people do, and maybe I would under duress but, usually NOT!)

Not only do we love summer fruit when it comes on, we also LOVE pancakes!!  Hence the 29 different recipes on the blog.  Funny thing was I hadn't even planned on making these, let alone blog blog about them, until I had actually made them. It's been more than a year since my last pancake concoction, so I knew it was time for another one.

Cherries and chocolate are one of my favorite flavor combinations. I used to make this cake all the time, especially on my birthday and it's still a favorite to this day. These pancakes highlighted the fresh cherries perfectly and were wonderfully complimented by the dark chocolate (chocolate-duh!). The effort level for this recipe is still minimal; the only extra step is chopping the cherries and chocolate. So, you can still flip these out in a short amount of time and still enjoy your morning.


Cherry Chocolate Pancakes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2  Tbsp. oil or melted butter
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup fresh cherries, pitted and roughly chopped, plus extra for garnish
1/4 cup dark chocolate bar, roughly chopped, plus extra for garnish

In a mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, buttermilk, egg, oil and almond extract.  Add flours, baking powder, soda and salt.  Whisk until just combined.  Gently fold in cherries and chocolate.  Let batter sit while griddle heats up.

Pour batter by 1/4 cup onto griddle.  Cook on one side until bubbles start to form and sides begin to look dry; about 2-3 minutes.  Flip pancakes and cook another minute or two on the other side.  Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve warm with butter, syrup and additional fresh cherries and chocolate, if desired.


more cherry chocolate love...
Double Cherry Chocolate Cookies 
Cherry Chocolate Scones
Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream

Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

Hmmmm, pancakes!!  They're pretty much a breakfast staple around here.  I don't think a week goes by where we don't make at least a batch or two of them.  Last week I found a fabulous deal on some fresh blueberries and I knew immediately I wanted to make a blueberry cornmeal pancake.  My girls don't usually like fruit in pancakes, muffins and such, but when I made these Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins, they devoured them, blueberries and all, and have asked for them several times since.  Needless to say, I figured I was safe making these and I was absolutely right!

Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
3 Tbsp. oil or melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour (I use mostly whole wheat)
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup fresh blueberries

In  a mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, oil and sugar.  Next, add in the dry ingredients, al but the blueberries.  Whisk until incorporated.  Gently fold in the blueberries.  Let batter sit while griddle heats up. 

Pour batter by 1/4 cups onto griddle and cook until bubbles start to form and sides begin to look dry; about 3 minutes.  Flip pancakes and cook another couple minutes on other side, until slightly golden.

Serve warm with maple syrup.

Pina Colada Pancakes

 

Happy Monday!!  It's officially summer break for us here in Utah so I thought I'd start off the week with some Pina Colada Pancakes and get you in the mood for the beach or Bahamas or whatever floats your boat.

I've made a lot of different kinds of pancakes over the years, but it had been a while since I tried something new.  When I spied a version of these a while ago on Tasty Kitchen I knew I wanted to try them...like immediately!! I absolutely LOVE just about anything coconut and pina colada is always a combo I have loved.  If you're looking for something new and unique to try, and can't quite make it to the beach, hopefully these can suffice! You'll love them.

Pina Colada Pancakes
1 cup coconut milk (I used coconut milk beverage from a carton, if you use it from the can  you can water it down a little bit.)
1 egg*
1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 ripe banana, smashed
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup fresh pineapple, chopped

garnish:
sweetened, flaked coconut
macadamia nuts, chopped

In a mixing bowl combine the coconut milk, egg, coconut oil, banana and sugar.  Whisk to combine.  Add flour, baking powder and soda, and salt.  Stir just to combine.  Fold in fresh pineapple.

Preheat griddle while batter sits.

Melt coconut oil on griddle, if desired, before pouring batter.  Pour batter by 1/4 cup onto griddle and cook until bubbles start to form and sides start to look dry.  Flip and cook on the other side another minute or two.  Continue with remaining batter.

Serve warm with chopped macadamia nuts and flaked coconut, even syrup, if desired.

*You can make these vegan by omitting the egg and replacing it with 1 tablespoon ground flax seed, mixed with about 2 tablespoons water.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Apple Pancakes

Just what I need right? Another pancake recipe.  My mom was on here a while back looking for a recipe and told me I had way too many.  Hmm, I don't think so.  I am always up for a new pancake to try.  It's one of my absolute favorite things to make for breakfast.

So the story behind this pancake is this...hubs' birthday was last month and my mom baked him an apple cake. I had just made homemade buckeye (peanut butter and chocolate) ice cream and threw it on top of a piece of leftover cake one night (also drizzled homemade caramel sauce on top) and it was so good!! A match made in heaven if you ask me. And from there, the flavor combination morphed into pancakes; 'cause it doesn't take much to get me thinking about pancakes.

So, these are really delicious and don't take much more effort than a typical batch of pancakes. All the extra you're going to have to do is just peel, cut and shred an apple and thin out some peanut butter to drizzle on top and that's it. 

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Apple Pancakes
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 fresh egg
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter , plus more for topping
1 1/2 whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 large apple, peeled, cut into fourths and shredded

Prepare apple and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together peanut butter and sugar.  Gradually whisk in egg and buttermilk, a little at a time. *If you add too much liquid at once, the peanut butter will not mix in well and will be clumpy.  You can also warm the peanut butter a little first to make it easier to whisk in.  Whisk mixture until smooth and uniform.

Add the dry ingredient and whisk until just incorporated.  Stir in shredded apple last and let batter sit while griddle preheats.

Drop batter by 1/4 cup onto hot griddle and cook until bubbles start to form and edges begin to look dry; about 2-3 minutes.  Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes. 

Serve warm.  If you want to drizzle peanut butter on top, just whisk in some water until it's pourable.  Otherwise you can just spread it on top with a knife.  Drizzle with syrup.

Apple Cider Pancakes with Cider Glaze

So, I went to Vegas a few weeks ago and, of course, the first thing I do is look for all the foodie things to do!  One of my favorite stops was at Trader Joe's.  Any time anyone I know is traveling where there's a Trader Joe's, I make sure to have them stop for me.  Their pound plus chocolate bars are to die for!!!  I know they're great for melting and baking, but heck, they're fab for just eating too.

Anyway, while we were at TJ's they were handing out samples of their apple cider so my girls and I decided to try it.  I don't like juice in general, I just stick to water mainly, but I was pleasantly surprised.  I really, really liked it!!  I only bought one jug of it, should have bought more, but it came home with us and this is what the last of it turned into. 

I couldn't stay away from pancakes if my life depended on it.  They are so yummy and so versitile!  These days I try to stick with mostly whole wheat flour, little to no sugar and VERY little syrup. Even with that, these were absolutely delicious! 

Our Trader Joe's is opening up here this weekend and you better believe I'll be there.  You know what's going to be on my list!


Apple Cider Pancakes with Cider Glaze
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup apple cider
2 eggs
4 Tbsp. oil or butter (I used coconut oil, melted)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 honey crips apples, peeled and shredded
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
pinch cloves

In a mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, cider, eggs, oil and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients and mix just to combine.  Fold in shredded apple.  Let batter sit while griddle heats up. 

Pour batter by 1/4 cup onto preheated griddle.  Cook until bubbles start to form and edges look dry; about 2-3 minutes.  Flip and cook on other side until light golden; about another 1-2 minutes.  Serve warm with cider glaze or topping of choice.


Cider Glaze
4 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 Tbsp. apple cider
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2-3/4 cup powdered sugar

Whisk glaze ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Serve immediately. 

*You can also use browned butter in place of regular melted butter.  To brown butter, gradually melt butter on medium-high heat.  Continue cooking until butter starts to get brown in color and smell nutty, swirling occasionally.  Allow to cool.


SOURCE: Adapted from Baking Serendipity

Snickers Pancakes

Happy Saturday!  It is high time for a new pancake recipe around here!  Believe me, we still eat plenty of pancakes but I've been mostly sticking to these for convenience. Ever since school started, my oldest just started kindergarten, I feel like a crazy busy woman.  Weird how just one little thing can cause such a dynamic change! So we have been sticking to quick and easy, but healthy too.  Well, except for maybe these this morning.

Now these are not your every day pancakes. They ARE named after a candy bar, so I wouldn't go eating them every day.  But they are much better than a candy bar and not incredibly bad for you either.  With whole wheat flour and oats and just a pinch of added sugar and light on the add-ins, it's only slightly more indulgent than your every day pancakes and syrup.  You're going to love this easy caramel sauce too!!! Divine.


Snickers Pancakes
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
splash of vanilla (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup oats
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (plus more for garnish, if desired)
1/4 cup salted, roasted peanuts, roughly chopped (plus more for garnish, if desired)

Simple caramel sauce (recipe below)

In a mixing bowl, mix buttermilk, eggs, butter and vanilla.  Whisk to incorporate.  Add the rest of the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.  Add chocolate chips and peanuts last and stir briefly to combine.

Let batter sit while griddle heats up.  Drop batter by 1/4 cup onto griddle and cook until bubbles start to form and edges start looking dry; about 2-3 minutes.  Flip and cook another minute or two.  Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve warm and garnish as desired.



Simple caramel sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. water
1/3-1/2 cup heavy cream

In a saucepan combine sugar and water over medium heat.  Swirl together rather than stir.  Cook until light brown in color, about 10-15 minutes.  Gently remove from heat and add in cream.  Whisk until well incorporated.  Mixture will bubble profusely the moment you add the cream so be careful, but it should settle down right away. If you have any hardened bits in the pan, just put it over the warm burner again and let it melt back into the mixture.  Store in a small glass jar with a tight fitting lid in the fridge.

SOURCE: Adapted from Minimalist Baker

Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes with Blackberry Salsa

I know it's not fall and sweet potatoes are kind of a fall thing, right along with butternut squash, but burgers and things that come in patties are kind of a summer thing and I'm always on the lookout for meatless meals that pack a nutritional punch and are full of flavor.

Enter sweet potatoes and quinoa. Sweet potatoes, besides being slightly sweet and absolutely delicious are high in fiber, vitamins A, C and B6 and quinoa is high in protein, iron and calcium (nutrients found often in animal products). So, I can feel good about having a meatless meal and not having to worry about my kids not getting the right nutrients.

My husband and I both really enjoyed these "griddle cakes," if you will. I even fed some to my 8 month old and she couldn't get it in her mouth fast enough! I didn't venture to give them to my other two because that would have been all out war, but I'm ok with that for now. Baby steps. The salsa is a great accompaniment and makes for a great combination of flavors.

Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes
1 medium sweet potato (about 6 oz), peeled and chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil, plus more for frying cakes
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil. Add in sweet potato, onion, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, stir, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until potato is soft. Remove lid and add garlic, cooking for 30 seconds.

Transfer potato mixture to a large bowl (slightly mashing potato with a fork) and add quinoa, breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs, remaining salt and pepper and mix well. Once combined, add in egg, then mix until moistened. Using your hands to bring it together, form four equally-sized patties. Heat the same skillet over medium heat and add coconut oil. Add cakes and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Serve with blackberry salsa.


Blackberry Salsa
1 pint fresh blackberries, chopped
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1/2 jalapeno, finely diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
the juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix.


SOURCE: How Sweet It Is

Vegan Oatmeal Banana Pancakes with (not so vegan) Chocolate Chips

I think my pancake addiction keeps getting worse and worse! I NEVER tire of eating them. They are just so versatile. You could make a different recipe every week for a year and never repeat.

So the other day I was thinking about making these pancakes that I LOVE, one of my favorites, but decided to try to make them healthier, by omitting the dairy, egg and added sugar, and using whole wheat flour.

Well, all the little tweaks paid off, because I think the pancakes are just as fabulous. I used a super ripe banana so it would add all that natural sweetness instead of adding white sugar. I replaced the chicken egg with a flax egg, definitely multiplying the health factor and supplying the fatty acids that my growing girls need. The whole wheat flour is pretty much a no-brainer for me any more, it's the norm, as well as the almond milk.


Vegan Oatmeal Banana Pancakes with Chocolate Chips
1 very ripe large banana, mashed
1 cup almond milk
1 flax egg (1 Tbsp. ground flax + 3 Tbsp. water)
2 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
pinch salt
1 tsp. baking powder
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips (vegan-friendly if you choose)

Preheat skillet.

In a small bowl, stir together the ground flax and water. Let sit about 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, add mashed banana, milk, flax egg, oil and vanilla. Whisk until well-incorporated. Add the dry ingredients, stirring to combine, tossing in chocolate chips in last.

Pour batter by 1/4 cup onto preheated skillet. Cook until bubbles start to form and edges look a bit dry. Flip and continue cooking another minute or so.


SOURCE: Adapted from Minimalist Baker

Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes

So, the other week after menu planning and doing all my grocery shopping I realized mid-week that I had come home with a carton or ricotta and totally forgotten what I bought it for. I checked over my menu and didn't find anything there I was planning on using it for so I turned my thoughts toward what I could make with it.

Naturally I went with pancakes. By now, there's hardly a pancake I haven't made, but these just sounded too delicious to not make a go of it. My girls aren't fans of chunks of fruit in their pancakes, in fact the only add-ins they'll usually go for is chocolate chips-go figure! So, in favor of my daughters' no chunky things in pancakes, I opted to puree the strawberries for this one and it SO worked in my favor. The girls were over the top that these pancakes came out pink(-ish).

When I presented my oldest daughter with a short stack of these, just like in the photo, she literally thought she had died and gone to heaven! She somehow got out of that that it was her special party day and she kept telling her friends all day long about it. If that doesn't convince you to try these, I don't know what will.

I love that the ricotta in these pancakes not only gives it that hint of cheesecake flavor, but makes them really moist. You can use whatever syrup you'd like on these. In lieu of making strawberry syrup I just decided to thin out some strawberry freezer jam to pour over the top and it worked out perfectly. And, of course topping it off with sweetened whipped cream is just like the icing on the cake...but totally optional...especially if it's a weekday.


Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 eggs, separated
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup pureed strawberries
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted*
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar

In a mixing bowl, combine combine buttermilk, ricotta, egg yolks, vanilla and strawberry puree. Whisk to combine well. Add in flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and stir just to combine. (*Note: I don't usually sift my flour for pancakes but I did it the first time and not the second and it made a difference.)

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 1/3 of the egg whites to batter and whisk to combine. Then add the rest of the whites and gently fold them into the batter.

Heat griddle. Drop batter by 1/4 cup onto the griddle and cook until bubbles start to form and sides are looking dry. Flip and continue cooking another 2 minutes or so.

Serve warm with syrup of your choice and whipped cream, if desired.

SOURCE: Adapted from Annie's Eats

Whole Grain Fresh Peach Pancakes

Ok, it's time for some serious talk! Ripe, fresh peaches, in season, are on my top 5 most favorite things to eat. Pancakes are in there too. So, why I never before brought those two together in beloved matrimony is BEYOND ME! I can't believe I never thought to make these. I'm so totally kicking myself for not doing it until now.

Of course, I love the fresh peach flavor and the little bits of peach all throughout the batter, but I also love that I can use my Wheat-Oat Pancake Mix, keeping it healthy and quick.

I topped my pancakes with a few more slices of peach and some syrup. However, I think homemade ginger syrup and a dollop of whipped cream would be heavenly too!

Whole Grain Peach Pancakes
1 cup Wheat-Oat Pancake Mix
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
pinch cloves
pinch nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup fresh peaches, chopped

In a small mixing bowl, mix together 1 cup of pancake mix, sugar and spices. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg, oil and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add in dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in chopped peaches. Let batter sit while griddle heats up.

Drop batter by 1/4 cup onto griddle. Cook until bubbles start to form and edges start looking dry. Flip pancakes and cook on other side another minute or two.

Serve warm with syrup of your choice and other toppings as desired.

Chunky Monkey Pancakes

These pancakes are the bomb! And I can say that because we make and eat pancakes around here like they are going out of style. So we've been around the block when it comes to pancakes.

Bananas, chocolate chips and peanut butter is my absolute favorite combination in a pancake....EVER! I will typically add a banana to this pancake mix but adding chocolate chips and peanut butter syrup is an extra special treat that we don't do that often.

Whether you are a morning person or not, whip these up the next time you have an extra minute or two when you wake up (a lot to ask, I know...cause who the heck would get up earlier than they have to???).

Chunky Monkey Pancakes
1 egg
2 Tbsp. oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 large banana, mashed
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine egg, oil and buttermilk. Whisk to combine. Add mashed banana and whisk again. Add dry ingredients and whisk until just incorporated, making sure not to over-stir. Let batter sit while griddle heats up.

Pour batter by 1/4 cup onto preheated griddle. Cook pancakes until they start to bubble and the sides start looking dry. Flip and cook another minute or two. Serve warm with peanut butter syrup.

Peanut Butter Syrup
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
1/4 cup maple syrup

Put peanut butter and syrup in a small bowl. Warm 10-20 seconds in the microwave. Whisk together until smooth and creamy. Multiply syrup as needed.

Coconut Macaroon Pancakes

Happy national pancake day! It is no secret that we are big fans of pancakes around here, so this is a fabulous holiday for us to celebrate. Coconut is another love of mine, so, naturally, when I saw these pancakes I knew they would hold a dear place in my heart. If you don't like coconut, this may not be the pancake recipe for you, but stick around and check out the pancake link over there on the side. There's lots of other tasty ones to choose from.

Ok, back to the coconut macaroon pancakes. Ohh, were they lovely. For the most part, my favorite way to eat a pancake is HOT off the griddle. Any leftover pancakes (which are not many, so I just leave them on the counter) get eaten by my children, and sometimes me, a few hours later as a snack. Rarely do pancakes make it to the fridge for consumption the next day. But these did only because I was the only one eating them. Yes, I sometimes make pancakes JUST for myself. I know, I'm weird.

The first time I snitched a bite of these, COLD from the fridge they were a different kind of delicious. OH, so good. Then my mind went straight to CHOCOLATE! What is a macaroon without chocolate right? I drizzled some hot fudge over them and just like that they became a dessert pancake. Completely perfect.

So, what I'm trying to say is you can eat these hot with a little drizzle of syrup, just out of your hand at room temperature, or cold for dessert drizzled with chocolate. You cannot go wrong any way you eat them.

Coconut Macaroon Pancakes
1 14-ounce can of coconut milk
3 eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 /4 cups flour
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder

In a large bowl combine the coconut milk, eggs and sugar. Whisk until incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, coconut, salt and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine.

Heat a non-stick (or well-seasoned) skillet, or griddle to medium-hot. Brush with a bit of coconut oil (or butter), if necessary. Drop batter, using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, onto the griddle and cook until edges begin to look dry (about 2 minutes). Flip pancakes and cook another 2 minutes or so, until bottom is deep golden in color.

Makes about 10-12 pancakes.

SOURCE: Perry's Plate

Wheat-Oat Pancake Mix

My daughter asks for pancakes just about every other day, and since we just LOVE pancakes around here, this mix was a no-brainer. Especially since it's a whole grain mix. Now, I've made my fair share of pancakes over the years, so I can pretty much do it with my eyes closed in about 30 seconds flat! BUT, having a mix all ready to go, takes it down to about 15 seconds. Who can beat that? Now, I'm sure a bowl of cold cereal probably could, but how can you pass up a nice hot breakfast? Not I.

Even if you're not a morning person, throw together this mix ahead of time and you can still have a yummy, healthy hot breakfast in no time!

Wheat-Oat Pancake Mix
3 1/2 cups oats (rolled or quick is fine)
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking soda
3/4 cup oil*

To make the mix: Grind the oats in a food processor until they're chopped fine, but not a powder. Combine the oats, flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl, preferably an electric mixer. Mix on low speed, and drizzle the oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of the mix in your hand; if it holds together, it's just right. If it won't hold together, stir in 1 tablespoon of oil at a time, until it does. Store indefinitely in an airtight container in the freezer. *(I have also left the oil out of the mix and just added 2 tablespoons for each cup of mix at the time I make the batter up. Either way works well.)

To make the pancakes: Whisk together 1 cup mix, 1 cup buttermilk (or other milk) and 1 large egg. Don't worry if the batter seems thin at first; it'll thicken as it stands. Let the batter stand while the griddle heats up.

Heat your griddle or pan till a drop of water sputters when you drop it on the surface (on my griddle it's about medium-high or 250 degrees F). Lightly grease, if necessary, and pour pancake batter by the 1/4-cupful onto the griddle. A muffin scoop works well here. Cook the pancakes till they're golden brown on the bottom, flip them over, and cook till golden brown on the other side.

We love to change up the batter every once in a while and add different mix-ins for variety. Here are some of our favorites:
1 large, ripe banana, smashed
1 cup pumpkin puree and 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (and chocolate chips sometimes too)
1 cup applesauce (or shredded apple), with cinnamon and nutmeg

Each batch makes about 8-10 pancakes or about 12-14 when you mix in fruit.


SOURCE: King Arthur Flour

Whole Grain Apple Cinnamon Chip Pancakes

You can tell by the sheer number of pancakes on this blog that we LOVE to eat them around here. I haven't posted a pancake recipe in a while but that sure doesn't mean we don't eat them often. In fact, my girls only eat a bowl of cereal once or twice a week, between pancakes, hot cereal, granola and the occasional eggs and toast.

We were lucky enough to score some fresh apples right from the orchard the other day. I love getting fresh fruit in season! I knew they would taste perfect shredded up in these pancakes. I don't usually throw "chips" in my pancakes, since I try to keep them pretty healthy, but this is about the only time of year you can find the cinnamon chips at the store and I thought I'd throw in a small bit.

My girls loved theses pancakes! My husband also went to work a few minutes late the morning I made these, just so he could have some. Delish!

Feel free to serve them with whatever syrup you would like, or top them with some warm applesauce or even apple butter.

Whole grain Apple Cinnamon Chip Pancakes
1 cup oats, quick or rolled
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
3 tbsp. oil
2 cups buttermilk
1 large apple, peeled and shredded
1/3 cup cinnamon chips

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Add in oats, flour, baking powder, soda and salt and whisk until just combined. With a rubber spatula, fold in the shredded apple and cinnamon chips. Let batter sit while griddle heats up.

Heat griddle to 250 degrees F, or about medium heat. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls and cook until edges start to look dry; about 2 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook on the other side until golden; about another 2 minutes. Serve warm.

Cake Batter Pancakes

I love to celebrate, especially when it comes to my kids and birthdays. I love to make them feel special and make them food that makes them smile. Saturday, however, was my birthday and I got to make these fun pancakes to share with everyone.

Seriously, if you're a fan of birthday cake, cake batter or heck, even pancakes, you're going to love these. My oldest daughter helped me make the batter and was so thrilled that she could dump in all those sprinkles. That just made it for her.

This is such a fun way to celebrate a birthday and it doesn't take much effort. Even if it's not anybody's birthday, these are fun and are sure to put a smile on anyone's face.

Wondering what to do with all that leftover cake mix? May I suggest you make MORE of these pancakes? Or you can even use it to make cake batter ice cream. Keep it in an ziploc bag or an air-tight container and it will keep for months, you don't have to use it right away.

Cake Batter Pancakes
makes about 10 pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow or white cake mix
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1-2 Tbsp. oil
1 1/2 cups milk (dairy, almond, rice, etc.; I used almond)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

assorted sprinkles

Combine flour, cake mix, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and mix. Add egg, oil, milk and vanilla extract and stir until smooth. You want the batter to look like regular pancake batter; not too thin, not too thick. Add more milk, if needed. Let batter sit while griddle heats up.

Preheat griddle or skillet, whichever you are using. Fold desired amount of sprinkles into batter. Pour batter in 1/4 cup measurements onto skillet and let cook until bubbles form on top, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute more. Serve with vanilla glaze and extra sprinkles, if desired.

For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp. milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix milk, extract and powdered sugar until glaze forms. You may need to add a little more sugar or water/milk to reach desired consistency.


SOURCE:Adapted from How Sweet It Is


Linked to...
Whisking Wednesdays @ Pinch of This, That & The Other
Potluck Sunday @ Mommy's Kitchen
Recipe Swap Thursday @ Prairie Story
It's a Keeper Thursday @ It's A Keeper
Mangia Mondays @ Delightfully Dowling
Savory Sunday @ The Sweet Details

Orange Dark Chocolate Pancakes

Ok, it's been a few weeks since I posted my last pancake recipe so I figured I was due for another one. I can't believe I waited so long to make these pancakes. I mean, who can resist orange and dark chocolate together? They are an amazing duo and taste absolutely wonderful in these pancakes. I don't usually put chocolate chips in my pancakes so these were a special treat. And I didn't even eat them with syrup because they were sweet enough and a little gooey from the chocolate, I didn't think they needed it. However, if you just can't eat pancakes without something on top, a light syrup or even a dusting of powdered sugar should do you just fine. Try these soon though, they are delicious!

Orange Dark Chocolate Pancakes
1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
zest of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt together and set aside. In another small bowl, mix orange zest and juice, egg and milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and GENTLY mix until just incorporated. (Usually I don't have a problem with this when I make pancakes but the first time I made these I think I stirred too much because the pancakes were not light and fluffy. So, just make sure you don't stir too much.) Fold in the chocolate chips.

Let batter sit while griddle preheats. Ladle batter by the 1/4 cup onto griddle. Cook until bubbles start to pop, flip and cook about another 1-2 minutes.

SOURCE: Adapted from Baking Serendipity

Linked to...
Sweet Tooth Friday @ Ali-n-Son
Sweets For A Saturday @ Sweet As Sugar Cookies
Recipe Swap Thursday @ Prairie Story

National Pancake Day and Chicken Pot Pie Pancakes w/ Herb-Dijon Gravy

Ok, here is my last installment of new pancakes for National Pancake Day (today, if you didn't know). Don't you worry though, I have pleanty more to post in the future. Have you ever had a savory pancake? I doubt most people have. I hadn't until this summer when I stumbled across this amazing recipe for Corn and Basil Cakes. We made these many times. My girls even liked and ate them. They'll make just about anybody a believer in a pancake that is not sweet or doused in syrup.



I've only tried a few different savory pancake recipes and I have to say that these are the most creative. Chicken pot pie is the ultimate comfort food and it's pretty much the epitome of cold weather baking. I love it. I couldn't resist trying it in pancake form.

Believe it or not, these pancakes were a success! My husband commented that he'd never had mustard on pancakes before but that he actually liked them. I'm glad I wasn't the only one eating them. These are actually a really great quick dinner option when you don't have much time or much in the fridge. Just throw in your leftover veggies, chopped up fine, make a little gravy and, voila!, you have dinner.

You still have time to celebrate National Pancake Day, even if you missed it for breakfast. Check out the end of this post for some more ideas or see my posts the past two days, I've linked up my favorites.

Chicken Pot Pie pancakes w/ Herb-Dijon Gravy
For the pancakes:
Double recipe Buttermilk Pancakes
1-1/2-2 cups chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (about 1 large breast)
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
3 green onions, thinly sliced

For the gravy:
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp. fresh dill or tarragon, finely chopped
2-3 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Stir in flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in stock, dill or tarragon and Dijon, and cook until well thickened and season with salt and pepper.

Prepare buttermilk pancakes according to directions. Stir in the chicken, peas, celery, and green onions until incorporated. Let batter sit while griddle heats.

Pour batter onto griddle by 1/4 cups. Cook until golden brown on each side, and continue with the rest of the batter. Place cooked pancakes on a plate and keep warm in a 250˚F oven with foil on top.

Serve pancakes warm with herb-Dijon gravy.

SOURCE:Adapted from Rachael Ray


More pancake love....
Corn and Basil Cakes










Buttermilk Pancakes

Carrot Cake Pancakes w/ Cream Cheese Topping

I'll have to admit, I was a little nervous to try these pancakes because the pancakes I made previous to these were a savory veggie pancake and my kids would NOT touch them! I thought I would be doomed and banned from making pancakes after that. I actually made these pancakes the very next morning after that fiasco and I was trying to make the batter up quickly before my girls saw that I threw in the shredded carrots. I had this plan to tell them they were yummy sprinkles but my 2 year old came in and called me on it, she knew exactly what they were. Much to my surprise though, she wasn't put off by them and asked for a bite. In the end, both girls ate up their pancake and we all liked them.

Although these are carrot CAKE pancakes, don't let the name fool you. They are actually pretty healthy with whole wheat flour and flax meal, as well as little added oil and sugar. The cream cheese topping is quite a treat, but, again, not too sweet. If you like carrot cake, you'll enjoy this healthy version as a pancake.


Carrot Cake Pancakes w/ Cream Cheese Topping
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
dash ginger
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 egg
2 cups finely grated carrot

Clean, peel and grate carrots. Mix flour, flax, baking powder, nutmeg, ginger and brown sugar in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine egg, milk and oil. Add liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Fold in carrots. Let batter sit while griddle heats up.

Using a 1/4 measuring cup, scoop batter onto preheated griddle. Cook over medium heat, flipping when the pancake bubbles and the edges become slightly dry. Continue cooking until batter is gone. Serve warm with cinnamon cream cheese topping.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Topping
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. cinnamon

Beat cream cheese until smooth, then add powdered sugar, milk and cinnamon. Beat again, until well incorporated.

SOURCE: Adapted from Baking Serendipity

Here are a few more of my favorite pancakes:
Oatmeal Raspberry Pancakes w/ Berry Coulis









Banana Pancakes w/ Peanut Butter and Maple Syrup









Gingerbread Pancakes

S'mores Pancakes and National Pancake Day

 Did you know that Tuesday, March 1st is National Pancake Day? That may not mean much to you, but to a pancake lover like me, that thrills me! Any excuse to make pancakes and I'll take it. I love celebrating food holidays. It gives me something to look forward to and also something fun to do with my kids.

Over the next couple of days I'll be sharing some new pancake recipes that I've made as well as sharing links to ones I've made previously. My first installment are these scrumptius S'mores Pancakes. Enjoy!

About right now, I'm longing for summer. And summer reminds me of camping and camping reminds me of s'mores. Every time I go camping and there's a campfire, I just have to have a s'more. Even if I'm stuffed from delicious Dutch Oven cooking, I still have to have a s'more. It's like a ritual. I've branched out here and there and made dump cakes in a Dutch Oven, but I just long for that s'more. There's something about that perfectly cooked marshmallow, sandwiched in between melty chocolate and graham cracker. Mmm, hits the spot every time.

Well, as you know I also love pancakes. These pancakes combine two of my favorite things. What better food to eat than that? These pancakes really were amazing! Although they are a little sweeter, studded with chocolate chips and drizzled with marshmallow syrup, than I usually make for breakfast, it was a special occasion so I felt like I could indulge a little bit.

If you are a pancake lover like me, or even a s'more lover, you will love this new take on pancakes.

S'mores Pancakes
For the pancakes:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 1 sleeve of crackers, crushed)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk (I used almond)
2 eggs
2 tablespoon oil
½ cup mini chocolate chips

For the marshmallow syrup:
1 cup Marshmallow Fluff
2-4 Tbsp.  hot water

Whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine the milk, eggs, and oil and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Let batter sit while griddle heats up.

Spray griddle as needed. Pour batter by 1/4 cup on to the griddle and cook until bubbles start popping. Flip and cook another minute or two longer. Remove to a plate and continue with remaining batter.

For the Marshmallow syrup: Mix the marshmallow fluff and hot water in a bowl. Whisk well to combine, until it becomes smooth in texture.

Serve pancakes warm, with marshmallow syrup and more chocolate chips, if desired. If you have a kitchen torch, even better...toast those babies up!!  If not, no biggie.  You could try it under the broiler or just eat as it, still delish!


SOURCE:Inspired by The Mixing Bowl Diary

Here are some more of my favorite pancake recipes:
Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes








Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Pancakes








Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes








Pumpkin Pancakes with Pumpkin Maple Syrup









Linked to...
Potluck Sunday @ Mommy's Kitchen
Seasonal Sunday @ Real Sustenance
Recipe Swap Thursday @ Prairie Story
It's A Keeper Thursday @ It's A Keeper
Sweet Tooth Friday @ Alli-N-Son
Sweets For A Saturday @ Sweet As Sugar Cookies

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Let me just tell you that these pancakes were a dream!! They were gone all too quickly, if you ask me. I make a lot of pancakes, so I don't mind the few mintues it takes to whip them up a couple of times a week. If that is a stretch for you though, you may want to reserve these for a special occasion, because they require a little more effort and time than your average pancake. But, don't give up because they are totally worth it.

Lemon and ricotta are perfect in these pancakes. The ricotta makes them super tender and moist and the lemon flavor is present but not too much. It makes a perfect pair with some raspberry preserves, in fact it was pretty much heaven. My girls snarfed down THREE pancakes each, and that is unheard of. I have never seen them eat that many pancakes in one sitting.

Make these today for breakfast, lunch or dinner. If you don't have some ricotta on hand, just strain some yogurt really well over some cheesecloth (about 15-20 minutes) and it works perfectly.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup milk (I used almond, but whatever is fine)
3 large eggs, separated
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups cake flour*
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar

Raspberry preserves, warmed

*You can substitute 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespons all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch per 1 cup of cake flour.

Combine the ricotta, milk, egg yolks, lemon zest and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add in the cake flour, baking powder and salt and mix just until incorporated. In another clean, dry mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue to beat, adding the sugar gradually, until medium-soft peaks form.

Fold one third of the egg white mixture into the ricotta mixture with a spatula until completely incorporated. Add in the remaining egg whites and fold in gently until the mixture is smooth and light.

Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Grease as needed. Ladle a 1/4 cup of batter onto the cooking surface for each pancake. Allow to cook until bubbles begin to form on the top surface. Use a large spatula to carefully flip the pancake and cook the other side until light golden and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm with raspberry preserves.

SOURCE:Annie's Eats