You probably don’t think I’m a healthy eater. I say that I am, but you might not believe me when you see the things I like to make. This is how it works; when I am alone or just cooking for my healthy husband, nutritious and low-calorie is what it’s all about. I eat tons of fruit, Kashi Go Lean, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and Ezekiel whole grain bread. When I have friends over or need to bring a dish to a get together, I like to let my hair down a bit and make taste my only concern. Which leads me to these pancakes.
I came across the recipe in my Bon Appetit cook book because we were going away for the weekend with friends and I was in charge of a breakfast. I wanted to work ahead so that the morning of would be super easy. I measured the dry ingredients, whisked them together in a bowl, and put the mixture in a large ziplock bag. On the bag I placed a post-it telling me how many eggs, how much milk, and how much butter. That morning I just whisked my wet ingredients, added them to the dries, and made my pancakes!
There is no whole wheat flour. There is no “healthy monounsaturated fat”. There is butter, and maple syrup, and tender, fluffy, sweet pancake. Â Your friends aren’t asking to see an ingredients list so they won’t know that the reason these are the best pancakes ever is because of the sugar and butter. Typically pancakes only have a smidge of sugar in them, and little to no butter. They’re so good, in fact, that your friends will probably email you for the recipe, increasing your chances of getting busted. Come on, live a little and make these real-deal pancakes.
Pancakes For Your Friends
Slightly adapted from Bon Appetit
Serves 4 generous portions. If you have leftovers, freeze them on a cooking rack and then place them in a ziplock bag. Place directly in toaster from freezer – you might have to put them down twice. Yum!
6 eggs
12 tbsp. butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted
2 c. milk
3 c. flour
1 c. sugar
2 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Butter and warmed maple syrup, for serving
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Whisk eggs, sugar and milk together in a medium mixing bowl. Slowly stream in melted butter while whisking until combined.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in another bowl until combined.
3. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and gently mix or fold until barely combined (you still want a lumpy batter). Let batter sit at least five minutes.
4. Heat a skillet over medium heat for several minutes. Wet your fingers and flick some water on the pan – if it sizzles audibly the pan is ready. If it smokes, the pan is too hot. If it just sits there, the pan isn’t hot enough.Â
5. Using a ladle (or whatever works best for you), place batter in rounds on skillet. Let cook until bubbles break the surface and the edges are set. Flip.
6. Cook until the bottom has browned and remove cakes to a baking sheet. Place sheet in oven to keep warm until all pancakes are made. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.
*Pancakes are easy to customize – scatter some blueberries, nuts, chocolate chips or sliced banana across the pancakes on the skillet before you flip them.
