Category: Pancakes

Breakfast, Pancakes, Recipes

Strawberry Chocolate Coconut Pancakes

Sarah

Confession time: I almost didn’t even bother taking pictures of these Strawberry Chocolate Coconut Pancakes.

It was a Saturday morning two weeks ago, the first in about six weeks that I was a) home and b) not doing a marathon training run, so I just wanted to eat. my. breakfast. In peace. No photography. [I apologize! Bad blogger attitude. Shame on me!] But… my dear husband thought differently. And for that, you should be eternally grateful. Just kidding… kinda. 🙂 One bite of these delicious dream boat pancakes and I knew that my husband saved me from making a terrible, horrible mistake.

I started out by whipping up a batch of my basic pancake batter, the origin of which is a mystery to me. I’ve been making these pancakes for several years, and the recipe is handwritten in my recipe journal, so I unfortunately cannot take credit for the basic recipe. However, I can take credit for the mix-ins!

After the basic batter was prepared, I perused my refrigerator and cupboards and took inspiration from two of my favorite sweet treats: luscious, fresh strawberries and creamy, rich chocolate. Both flavors are complimented by a hint of tropical coconut in the batter, in the form of coconut oil and coconut flakes.

As I fried these babies up on a hot skillet, I dropped on plenty of chopped strawberries and mini chocolate chips. Once my plate was piled high, I covered the lot with more strawberries, chocolate, and coconut and dug in. It was like a trip to the tropics before 10 a.m., I tell ya!

I’m so glad that my Ben knows a winning recipe when it’s right in front of him. Now, if only a trip to the tropics was right in front of him… I suppose for now I’ll just have to settle for a delicious, indulgent tropical breakfast instead. 🙂 It’s just as good, I promise!

Strawberry Chocolate Coconut Pancakes
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • sprinkle of salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups skim milk, at room temperature
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup cut strawberries + more for topping
  • 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips + more for topping
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened dried coconut flakes + more for topping

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients [flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar]. In a small bowl, stir milk, egg, coconut oil, and vanilla until well combined. Make a well in the dry ingredients and then pour wet ingredients over top and stir until just moistened. [Lumps are a-okay!] Then, fold in coconut. Spoon out batter onto hot griddle in 1/4-1/3 cup increments and sprinkle on desired amounts of strawberries and chocolate chips. Cook until golden brown and serve topped with more strawberries, coconut, and chocolate. Enjoy! Makes 10-12 medium size pancakes.

Notes:

If the milk and eggs aren’t at room temperature, it’s not the end of the world. I think the consistency is better if they are, but I’m not always that organized [or patient!]. Also, melted butter can be used in place of oil. I haven’t tried this, but for even more of a coconut emphasis, consider using lite coconut milk instead of skim.

Breakfast, Pancakes, Recipes

Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes

Sarah

Happy Mardi Gras! Happy Shrove Tuesday! Happy Fat Tuesday! Happy Pączki Day! Happy Pancake Day! Pączki Day? Pancake Day? Wait, what?

So, Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday… all pretty common names for the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Lent and is 46 days before Easter [40 if you don’t count Sundays]. Most people have probably heard of them and celebrate them by indulging in favorite fried foods that traditionally were abstained from during Lenten fasting.

You’re probably wondering what Pączki Day and Pancake Day have to do with all of this. Well, pączkis and pancakes are two of the best ways to celebrate the day before Ash Wednesday!

Pączkis are Polish doughnuts and are so delicious! They don’t taste like regular doughnuts and I highly recommend that you hightail it to the grocery store or bakery if you’re lucky to pick up some before they’re gone til next year! We bought ours yesterday and enjoyed them while watching the final episode of LOST [again]. I’m sure you could make them, but they seem pretty difficult to make.

In the meantime though, these Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes are calling your name. I know I say this frequently, but these are some of the whole wheat apple pancakesbest pancakes I have ever tasted! Whole wheat is often stereotyped as dense and hard, but these pancakes are anything but. Ben and I literally inhaled about 3-4 big pancakes each last week after a hard workout and they totally hit the spot. Each pancake is chock-full of cinnamon apples and buttermilk goodness. Sweetened only by honey, these pancakes aren’t so over the top sweet that the apple gets lost. For a little something different we topped our pancakes with honey instead of syrup. These pancakes will definitely be making an appearance on my plate soon–maybe on Saturday after my 20 mile marathon training run! Woohoo!

Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes [from Ellie Krieger’s So Easy]

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium apple, chopped [Golden Delicious is suggested, I used Pinata]
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup skim milk
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • cinnamon
  • olive oil

Directions:

Put the apple in a microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high until softened, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon [if desired] and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flours, powder, soda. In a small bowl, whisk together milks, eggs, and honey. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Batter will be lumpy.

Heat a large skillet drizzled with olive oil. Once hot, scoop batter by 1/4 cup increments. Top with about 1 tablespoon apple. Cover with a little more batter. Cook until golden brown on each side, about 4-5 minutes total since these are thick pancakes. Serve with butter and honey, or maple syrup if that’s more your flavor!

Click here for the printable version: Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes

***Don’t forget to enter my giveaway by Sunday, March 13!

Question of the Day: Do you have any Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday/Fat Tuesday/Pączki Day/Pancake Day traditions?

Breakfast, Pancakes, Recipes

Pumpkin Pancakes

Sarah

So, it’s no secret that I love breakfast. Especially pancakes. I don’t know what it is, but I just love those things. Mmmm. I’ve posted 8 recipes for breakfast foods in the 5 or so months I’ve been blogging, and that doesn’t even come close to the all the breakfast recipes I’ve tried in that time span. Only the best of the best are posted here, folks. 🙂 And also, it should come as no shock that I love pumpkin. Another 8 recipes. *ahem, are we sensing a trend here?* However, what should come as a complete and UTTER shock is that I have never had a pumpkin pancake in my life. NEVER!

Ohmygoodness.

What kind of breakfast/pumpkin lover am I?

Fortunately though, I don’t have to ponder that anymore, because I recently made that previous statement false. I made and consumed pumpkin pancakes. I thoroughly enjoyed them… with their little fried and crispy edges, soft middles, and spicy pumpkin aroma and flavor… and when you make them [because you will], you will enjoy them too! [And then you will crave them while writing term papers and then you can go defrost the leftovers from your freezer and eat them for lunch and be happy. Really, really happy. Or, at least as happy as you can be while doing schoolwork.]

pumpkin pancakes - a classic recipe you'll use again & again!

On that note, I bring you the recipe… because that’s all you care about, right, not my sad term paper plight? 🙂

Pumpkin Pancakes

  • Servings: 3-4 depending on how hungry you are
  • Print

from The Brunette Foodie; originally AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 1/2 cups skim milk
  • 1 cup pumpkin
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons vinegar
  • Mix-ins of your choice: pecans, chocolate chips, etc.

Directions:

Preheat a griddle pan over low to medium heat.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: milk, pumpkin, egg, oil, and vinegar. [Side note: yes, vingear in batter seems odd. But you can’t taste it, I promise! More info here.] Fold wet ingredients into the dry until just combined and add mix-ins if desired.

Add oil to the griddle, then scoop out onto hot griddle and cook as usual. The batter will be thick, so allow each pancake to cook for about 2 minutes before flipping. They shouldn’t burn if you keep the heat down. Repeat until batter is gone, then serve with butter and syrup if desired. They were so good I ate them plain!

Question of the Day: What do/did you snack on while doing schoolwork? In college, I was all about nachos–shredded cheese melted on tortilla chips in the microwave, or those big Kroger cinnamon rolls… mmm…

Breakfast, Pancakes, Recipes

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Sarah

Whole Wheat Pancakes via thepajamachef.com

My love for pancakes lives on! Since I began baking with whole wheat flour back in February, I’ve been trying to find a good whole wheat pancake recipe. I’ve experimented with many but haven’t found my go-to recipe. Until now. The combination of buttermilk and melted butter work in tandem to provide the light fluffiness of a traditional pancake with the nutrition and satisfying taste [in my opinion] of whole wheat.

Maybe I’m a purist, but I honestly prefer the nutty flavor found in items prepared with whole wheat, rather than all-purpose flour. There’s just something about it being less processed that is really appealing to me–and not just for health reasons. However, the health benefits of whole grains can’t be beat. Whole grains provide more fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and adding whole grains to our diet helps reduce risk of heart disease, cancers, and diabetes. I know this is all common knowledge today, but it’s important to have a good reminder of what we’re putting in our bodies and why, I think.

Regardless of your beliefs on whole wheat flour, this is a perfect basic pancake recipe. Leftovers freeze easily so it’s an option to make ahead for busy mornings.

Whole Wheat Pancakes via thepajamachef.com

Whole Wheat Pancakes

  • Servings: 10 pancakes
  • Print

from Money Saving Mom

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup of your choice of mix-ins [we like blueberries and chocolate chips]
  • canola oil for frying

Directions:

Pour approximately 2 tablespoons canola oil onto a griddle pan and heat to medium-high heat on the stovetop. A hot griddle is key to pancake success.

Then, in a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together–flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, and butter [make sure it’s cooled–otherwise it’ll cook the eggs!]. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.

Spoon onto hot griddle in scant 1/4 cup increments. Top with mix-ins of your choice;  cook until golden brown and crispy on each side. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

Notes:

Makes about 10 regular size pancakes, but can be doubled or tripled to suit your needs. For freezing tips, check out Money Saving Mom’s tips on the recipe source.

What has your experience been with using whole grains [like whole wheat flour] in cooking or baking?

Breakfast, Pancakes, Recipes

Edna Mae’s Sour Cream Pancakes

Sarah

I love pancakes. And breakfast food in general. I even had it at my wedding as breakfast for dinner. Ha ha–take that, tradition! 🙂

I grew up a Bisquick gal but in the past 2 years have been making my own from scratch because it’s just so easy. This is a fabulous pancake recipe. The pancakes are light and flavorful, and easy as can be. Plus they are from the Pioneer Woman and she’s just great.

One thing I really liked about this recipe was that it didn’t make a huge amount. Since it’s just the two of us, we usually halve breakfast recipes, but we didn’t with this one. If you’re making it for a bigger family or a large group, double it at will. We made these one night recently for dinner and they were devoured in minutes between the two of us. Mmmhmmm, that good. Well, two were leftover that Ben heated up for breakfast the next day. But they were gone just like that! Enjoy!

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes | thepajamachef.com
YUM.

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes

  • Servings: 2
  • Print

from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup fat-free sour cream
  • 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
  • canola oil

Directions:

Preheat a griddle on the stove over medium-low heat. In a medium bowl, mix sour cream, flour, sugar, and baking soda. Stir together but don’t worry about everything being incorporated–PW suggests “interesting texture” is better. 🙂 In a measuring cup, mix the eggs and extract. Whisk the mixture to break the yolks, then pour into the sour cream batter and stir together.

Pour some canola oil in the skillet to fry the pancakes. Add batter to skillet in 1/4 cup increments. Cook pancakes for about 90 seconds, then flip and cook for another 45-60 seconds and remove to a plate. Repeat until batter is gone, serve, and eat with butter and syrup.