Pancakes – Page 2 – The Pajama Chef

Cranberry Orange Pancakes with Cranberry Maple Syrup

December 12, 2012December 14, 2015 Sarah

When we’re home and I’m not training for a marathon that requires me to spend the majority of my Saturday mornings out on a long run, our typical Saturday routine is to sleep in, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, and then waste the day away with football games [Ben] and a good book [me] until we drag ourselves out the door to go workout, unless it is summertime, in which case we workout first thing to avoid the heat. Whoa. Run-on sentence. Sorry. All that to say, our leisurely breakfasts are the best. Except figuring out what to make. I’m a weekend breakfast snob, pretty much always insisting on some form of pancakes or waffles or egg casserole or french toast or or or… anything but boring toast or cold cereal. Not on the weekend…LAME!

Most men would delight in that. 1950s ideals and all. You know what the kicker is? 99% of the time, Ben would be just fine with eating dry Cheerios out of the box. Seriously. He uses a bowl, because of me, but how lame is that? So every week, our conversation is: what do you want for breakfast? Oh, cereal is fine. Really? Well if you really want to make something, I’d eat it… blah blah blah. But THIS SATURDAY!! This Saturday was different! When I asked Ben what he wanted for breakfast and said I was in a pancake mood, he immediately asked if there was a recipe somewhere for cranberry pancakes.

Cranberry pancakes? Well, I wasn’t sure, but a little Googling later led me to this awesome fare.

Yup, that’s definitely a big ‘ole stack of Cranberry Orange Pancakes with a bowl of Cranberry Maple Syrup! Can it get any better?

These pancakes were fluffy and sweet, slightly scented with a faint flavor of orange, while also having the unmistakable tartness of cranberries in each bite. So so so good! And the syrup! It was the star of the show, almost like a mixture of jam and syrup together… thick and sticky, as any good syrup is. It goes without saying that the cranberries in the syrup are tart…but a good tart, like cranberry sauce tart. Mmmm! A little vanilla in the syrup sophisticates this syrup. SO GOOD!

Wait! It does get better because it was the boring breakfast eater who inspired me to find this recipe. Except now that I look at the photos, I realize it couldn’t have been Saturday morning when these photos were taken because it was obviously dark out so I took them indoors. Sigh. That means my story is slightly invalid… but the principle still remains! And these pancakes are incredible. I think we must have made these Friday night. Exciting lives we lead…haha. They are sure to become a Christimastime favorite in your house too. Enjoy! 🙂

Cranberry Orange Pancakes [from Coastal Living]
click to print

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons melted butter $
zest of 1/2 an orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh cranberries, thawed if previously frozen

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. In a large measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk, egg, butter, orange zest, and vanilla extract.

Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then add cranberries and mix gently until incorporated. Let batter rest while skillet heats up.

Meanwhile, heat canola oil on a large griddle or skillet set over medium-high heat. When hot, reduce heat to medium and add batter, 1/4 cup for each pancake, then cook for 2-4 minutes or until edges cook and top is bubbly. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until lightly browned.

Time: 20 minutes.

Yield: ~16 pancakes.

Cranberry Maple Syrup [from Coastal Living]

Ingredients:

3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup fresh cranberries, divided [thawed if frozen]
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

Bring maple syrup and 3/4 cup cranberries to a boil in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat.

Reduce heat to low, then simmer for 3-4 minutes until cranberries begin to pop. Crush cranberries with a potato masher, then add remaining cranberries. Simmer for another 2 minutes, then stir in vanilla and butter.

Time: 10 minutes.

Yield: 1 cup.

Breakfast, Pancakes, Recipes

Peaches and Cream Pancakes

August 27, 2012October 16, 2012 Sarah

There’s nothing I love more than a perfectly cooked pancake. Except maybe a perfectly ripe piece of fruit. And right now, the fruit that is absolutely perfect from my farmer’s market is peaches! Are peaches? I’m sure my grammar expert of a husband will correct me in the comments, and if he doesn’t then I’ll know that he didn’t read this post today. Which might happen since he has training at work this week. Anyways, onto the yummies!

As I said, peaches are perfectly ripe and juicy right now, so what better way to enjoy them for breakfast than in these scrumptious and easy Peaches and Cream Pancakes? The secret to these light and fluffy p’cakes, as they’re sometimes referred to in our house [yes, we’re 4] is room temperature milk and eggs, lots of baking powder, and butter, not oil for the fat. Yes, I said fat. They’re panCAKES so it’s to be expected. 🙂 And it’s only 3 tablespoons, not too bad at all.

Flavoring these lovely pancakes is a generous amount of sweet chopped peaches and tangy, spicy crystallized ginger–not too much, just enough to make an impact. If you love ginger, feel free to increase the amount, but we felt that 1 teaspoon was just right. These pancakes are definitely a welcome alternative to traditional summer blueberry, strawberry, insert any other berry here pancakes.

Don’t forget about the cream! My cream of choice was velvety, luscious vanilla yogurt [Dannon All Natural Vanilla is my favorite]. I eat yogurt as my “syrup” on pancakes pretty regularlly, and love how the creaminess adds some natural sweetness to the pancakes without all the added sugar of syrup [though real maple syrup has it’s place too!].

Ben preferred whipped cream on his pancakes. Though as he pointed out to me, leftovers were consumed with yogurt… and next time, he wants a double [triple?] dose of peaches by trying peach yogurt instead of vanilla. Craaaaazy!

These pancakes are the perfect summertime breakfast. I know I’ve used the word “perfect” about seven times in this post, but I hardly think that’s excessive. Peaches and Cream Pancakes are just so perfect and amazing and I wish I had some right about now! Enjoy!

Peaches and Cream Pancakes [adapted from my Go-To Pancakes]
click to print

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
sprinkle of salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 cup skim milk, at room temperature
1 egg, at room temperature
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled [can sub oil too]
oil for cooking
2 peaches, chopped
1 teaspoon crystallized ginger, chopped
vanilla yogurt or whipped cream for serving

Directions:

Preheat skillet over medium heat.

In a medium size bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Make a well in the center. Measure out milk in a measuring cup and then add egg. Beat gently with a fork. Add [cooled] butter and stir again. Pour liquid ingredients into well of dry ingredients, then stir gently to combine. Add half of the chopped peaches and all the ginger, then stir again. Don’t worry if batter is lumpy.

Pour batter onto hot skillet in 1/4 cup increments. Cook for a couple minutes on the first side until bubbles form, then flip and cook on other side until golden brown. Keep warm on a dinner plate covered with an aluminum foil tent until all are prepared, then serve with vanilla yogurt or whipped cream and additional chopped peaches.

Note: It is not 100% necessary to let milk and egg come to room temperature, but it yields better results. Recipe can be easily doubled with good results!

Time: 30 minutes [plus additional time to let milk and egg come to room temperature].

Yield: 12-14 pancakes.

Breakfast, Pancakes, Recipes

Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes

July 2, 2012July 3, 2014 Sarah

So, even though I love Jack Johnson… I don’t really like banana pancakes. I’m not a fan of globby, warm, overripe banana goo. What can I say? I prefer underripe bananas. I’m weird. All that being said… I absolutely adore these banana pancakes. They are so light, fluffy, and just sweet enough to be a little extra treat in the morning [or at noon or in the evening… pancakes are good anytime!].

So what makes these banana pancakes so great? Let me give you a hint: It’s not just the chocolate chips.

The bananas in the mix are mashed, not sliced, which give each bite full of banana flavor without that warm banana goo. This batter reminds me so much of banana bread, it’s uncanny! I cannot say enough good things about them, except to say that you should definitely check out the original post on Skinnytaste. Gina’s heart shaped pancake mold is absolutely precious… and I’m sure makes the pancakes taste a teensy weensy bit better. But I’m here today to say that even if you just make these the regular ‘ole way, they are still pretty amazing. 🙂

Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes [from Skinnytaste]
click to print

Ingredients:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 large banana, ripe, mashed well
1 cup skim milk
3 large egg whites
2 teaspoons canola oil + more for cooking [or use cooking spray]
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
banana slices, chocolate chips, syrup, butter, etc. for topping

Directions:

Preheat skillet over medium heat. Add a little oil to skillet to heat up.

In a small bowl, mix together flours and baking soda. In a large bowl, beat together banana, milk, egg whites, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Then gently fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

Pour 1/4 cup batter onto hot skillet, top with 1 teaspoon mini chocolate chips. Cook for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes on each side, flipping when bottom is lightly brown and batter starts to bubble.

Repeat until all batter is used, and serve pancakes with additional banana slices, chocolate chips, butter, syrup, etc.

Time: 20 minutes.

Yield: 12 pancakes.

Breakfast, Pancakes, Recipes

SRC: Quinoa Pancakes

March 5, 2012January 28, 2016 Sarah

Another month, another dose of the Secret Recipe Club. 🙂 My favorite Monday of the month, by far. If you’ve missed my other SRC posts, the premise is this: you’re assigned a different member’s blog every month. You visit their blog, choose any recipe you want, then make it and share it on your blog. It’s a great way to find new blogs and expand your repertoire with new recipes, cooking styles, etc. Then, everyone posts about their assigned blog on the same day. It’s so fun–if you have a blog, definitely check it out and consider joining! I highly recommend it.

For March, I was assigned Rachel’s blog, Not Rachael Ray. While perusing her site, there were so many things I wanted to try [that is, when I wasn’t sidetracked by the precious photos of her baby daughter]. I’ll have to come back later when it’s rhubarb season to make this cake. I’m also very intrigued by these pumpkin cheddar muffins–that’s one pumpkin combo that I have not experienced! But for March, I decided that a cozy, comfy breakfast was in order… hence, Quinoa Pancakes.

I love breakfast, I love quinoa. Why not put the two together? I know it sounds a tad bit strange, but take away your side-dish associations with quinoa and just think of it as the “grain” that it is. And I say “grain” because it is actually is a seed and a relative of spinach and Swiss chard, unlike our modern connotations. Check out this link for more info on this nutritious addition to your new favorite pancake recipe.

These pancakes were nutty and filling–just sweet enough to be satisfying, but not that over the top sweet that a little extra maple syrup and fresh blueberries would be considered overkill. Nope, not at all. Ben and I both loved these pancakes and are sure that you will too! Thanks, Rachel, for the new addition to our breakfast rotation. 🙂

Quinoa Pancakes

Servings: 2
Time: 20 minutes
Print

from Not Rachael Ray
Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice [approximately 1/3 cup dry cooked in 2/3 cup water]
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup skim milk
1 large egg + 1 large egg white
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the skillet [I used canola oil]
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, optional [I used about 2 teaspoons because I only have a hand crank grinder and my hand was tired!]

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

In a large bowl, mix together quinoa, flour, and baking powder. In a measuring cup, measure milk, then add in eggs, butter, and maple syrup. Whisk together, then fold into the quinoa mixture. Stir in flax if using.

Add butter or oil to skillet, then drop batter on skillet. [see yield for size info] Cook on first side for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes, or until bubbles form, then flip and cook until golden brown. Serve with fresh fruit, preserves, and/or more real maple syrup.

Click on over to check out other posts from today’s reveal of the SRC. Have a great day!

Breakfast, Pancakes, Recipes

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

October 20, 2011October 19, 2011 Sarah

Since it might not be obvious from the recipes I post here, I thought I should let you know a couple things about me that are 110% true. Yes, exactly 110%. I am a) aware that there are other fall flavors besides pumpkin and b) actually quite a big fan of these other flavors.

Like apple. Oh, fall apples. They are absolutely the best. My favorite way to enjoy apples is actually just freshly sliced up–sometimes plain, sometimes with peanut butter, and sometimes with Brown Sugar Fruit Dip. But… sometimes, I have to cook with apples. You see, they combine so perfectly with cinnamon. And they are just so good warm.

Enter Apple Cinnamon Pancakes. These little babies combine everything I love about apples–their fruity fall flavor, their warmth, their tendency to pair well with cinnamon, their hearty crunch with a restaurant-quality light and fluffy breakfast treat. I made these for dinner one recent evening and was so excited to see that we had a few leftover for breakfast the next day. Usually, I pass off leftovers to Ben without a second thought, but these were leftovers worth fighting for. They’re delicious served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, so don’t be hindered by constraints of time–make these fall pancakes as soon as possible!

Reader Question ~ How do you enjoy your apples? What’s your favorite kind?

I personally am obsessed with Crisipin! They’re hard to find but when you do, they are so sweet/tart, crispy, and refreshing. Totally worth a trip to the apple orchard for them!

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes [from What Megan’s Making]
printable version

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup natural unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
2 tablespoons canola oil or melted butter
1 apple, peeled and chopped [I used Granny Smith]

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, sugar, and baking powder. In another bowl, mix together the wet ingredients: milk, applesauce, and oil. Next, fold the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until barely combined. Stir in the chopped apples–mixture will likely be a little lumpy.

Let batter rest for 10 minutes while the skillet is heating over low-medium heat. Add a little canola oil to the skillet and once hot, pour about 1/3 cup of batter to the pan. Cook until surface is bubbly, then flip and let the other side cook until golden brown.

Time: 30 minutes.

Yield: 14-16 pancakes.