Fresh strawberries are in full swing here in Virginia and one morning I woke up with a huge yearning for strawberry pancakes. I found this recipe on Every Day with Rachael Ray and was super excited that it called for vanilla extract because I'm always looking for ways to use my homemade vanilla extract.
My husband, poor guy, does not like strawberries. I feel sorry for him, don't you? He's missing out, but because I love him and because I can't have him going hungry, I made the first batch without strawberries. He took one bite and announced that these were the best pancakes I've ever made. I've made quite a few pancakes, so this declaration was a big deal. I think it was because I tripled the amount of vanilla, making these pancakes actually taste like cake. Thus, I changed the name of the recipe to include vanilla because the vanilla definitely comes through in every bite.
These pancakes are extremely delicious. They are moist, fluffy, and juicy from the strawberries. If you're feeling really naughty, they'd be even better with a dollop of whipped cream. They're quick and perfect for a Memorial Weekend breakfast!
Strawberry Vanilla Pancakes
Modified from Every Day with Rachael Ray
Makes 8 large pancakes
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 large egg
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Maple syrup and butter for serving
Directions
In a medium bow whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small owl whisk together the egg, milk, and vanilla. Preheat a nonstick griddle over medium heat. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir in the melted butter.
The batter should be thick and smooth. Fold in the strawberries.
Spoon the batter onto the griddle 1/4 cup at a time. Cook the pancakes until set and thoroughly bubbly, about 3 minutes.
Flip them with a spatula and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Serve with butter and maple syrup.
In previous posts I have declared my love for breakfast so there really is no need to once again elaborate on how happy breakfast foods make me or to go into details about how I could eat breakfast any time of the day, any day of the week. Instead I will just delve right into these awesome Chocolate French Silk Pancakes from How Sweet It Is. Jessica is really onto something with these creamy, chocolatey pancakes. She's so creative - how many of you have ever eaten chocolate pancakes? Yes, we've all had chocolate chip pancakes before...boring! Although I do love how they're a great excuse for eating a big plate of dessert in the morning. I also have a huge thing for French Silk pie although I haven't eaten it in years. Note to self: eat French Silk pie soon. Anyway, when I saw these pancakes, it was just a matter of time until these babies were in my belly!
I really liked these pancakes. They were especially delicious because I bathed them in Pure New Hampshire Maple Syrup, a gift from my lovely in-laws.
My Chocolate French Silk pancakes were super thick but that is because I didn't have whole wheat pastry flour, like the recipe called for, so used regular whole wheat flour instead. I'm definitely going on a hunt for pastry flour the next time I'm at the grocery store because Jessica explained they will make my pancakes lighter and fluffier - more like a pastry (duh, Ashley!). :)
I added sliced bananas to mine, making these yummy pancakes even better! Other, more naughty ideas are to top them with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, slivered almonds, peanuts. These pancakes are fairly healthy, so that makes the naughty toppings justifiable, right?
Chocolate French Silk Pancakes
From Jessica at How Sweet It Is
Makes 12 pancakes
Printable Version
Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 heaping teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups lite coconut milk, + more if needed to smooth out batter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Stir together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Stir until dry ingredients are combined and batter is smooth. Preheat skillet or griddle to medium heat.
Drop 1/4 cup batter on skillet and cook until bubbles form. Flip and cook until lightly browned.
I'm not sure if it's because I'm a teacher and around kids alllllll the time but I still really like peanut butter and jelly. I don't eat PB&J sandwiches anymore but I love it on english muffins or waffles. I came across this recipe on one of the cutest and most entertaining food blogs out there, How Sweet It Is. I made these pancakes for my hubby and I and we both loved them. I made the jelly sauce with homemade jam from wild Michigan blackberries. It was awesome. Unfortunately my hubby doesn't like fruit (yes, he is crazy) so he omitted the jelly sauce from his pancakes. He really liked them with just the peanut butter and syrup. Since the pancakes are made from whole wheat they are very thick and very filling. This recipe is a definite winner in my PB&J book!
Peanut Butter & Jelly Pancakes
From Jessica at How Sweet It Is
Printable Version
Ingredients
For the pancakes:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons peanut butter, melted plus additional for drizzling
For the jelly topping:
1/4 cup strawberries
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup jam of choice
1-2 tablespoons water
1-2 tablespoons maple syrup
Directions
For the pancakes:
Stir together dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, vanilla and oil. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in peanut butter. Cook on preheated pan until bubbles form and edges start to dry.
Flip and cook until lightly browned. Top with additional peanut butter and jelly topping.
For the jelly topping:
In a small saucepan, combine blueberries, strawberries and water over low heat. Mash the berries and add jam, stirring until mixture becomes mostly liquid and warm. Stir in syrup. Drizzle over pancakes.
Correct me if I am wrong, but haven't I mentioned before on my blog that I love breakfast? Ahhh yes, in my scones post, I even wrote an "ode to breakfast". So since I am pretty sure that my faithful readers already know breakfast is my favorite meal, and that I could eat breakfast any time of the day, any day of the week, let's get right into this pancake mix.
Instead of buying the boxed stuff like Bisquick or Aunt Jemima's I decided I wanted to find a recipe for homemade pancake mix. I turned to my food blogger friend Jen at Beantown Baker and borrowed her recipe from Alton Brown. This mix makes quite a lot. I've already made 4 batches of pancakes and will be able to make about 2 more. If you aren't going to use the mix in three months, keep it in the freezer. I will eat mine up in a month, so didn't have to worry about that. You can add blueberries or bananas or whatever your little heart desires to this mix. It makes very fluffy, thick, belly filling pancakes so Jen recommends adding in a little more buttermilk if you like yours thinner.
On a side note, I want to thank my friend Andrea for advising me to use a griddle to make my pancakes. I naively thought that because the name is "pan" cake, you should use a pan but this resulted in frustration and lots of either undercooked or burnt pancakes. So now I pull out my trusty indoor grill and get pancake perfection.
Instant Pancake Mix
From Beantown Baker and Alton Brown's Good Eats Cookbook
Yields 3 batches of 12 pancakes
Printable Version
Ingredients
6 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
Directions
Combine all of the ingredients in a lidded container. Shake to mix. Use within 3 months or store in freezer.
For 12 Pancakes:
Ingredients
2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons melted butter (I omitted this after my first batch and they were still yummy)
2 cups instant pancake mix from recipe above
1 stick of butter for greasing pan (I used cooking spray)
2 cups of fresh blueberries, optional
Directions
Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees. Whisk together the eggs whites and the buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter.
Combine the buttermilk mixture with the egg yolk mixture in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until throughly combined. Pour the liquid ingredients on the top of the pancake mix. Using a whisk, mix the batter until it is combined. Don't try to work all the lumps out (this will make your pancakes tough).
Lightly butter the griddle. Wipe off with a paper towel so that no butter is visible. Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle and sprinkle on fruit if desired. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle side is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 - 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.
Serve immediately or remove to a towel-lined baking sheet and cover with another towel.
