PB & J Pancakes

One of my favorite parts about Sundays is our family brunch time. Sometimes we go out to eat, but most of the time we stay home. I tried out a new recipe today, and the whole family agreed it was like we were at a restaurant. These PB & J Pancakes just might give IHOP a run for their money.

I had this recipe in my New Recipes to Try File. I can't remember where I saw it posted, but the credits on the recipe say it's from Sunny Anderson @ Food Network. I love PB & J anything, so this recipe caught my eye.  This seemed like the right weekend to give it a whirl. 

I had a bag of blackberries in the freezer that I stumbled across when I put a few things away last week.  I typically will flash freeze blackberries and raspberries when they go on sale for $1 a pint at the grocery store. I'm so glad I have a few more bags stashed away in the freezer, because this recipe is definitely going to be making a repeat occurrence on our Sunday Brunch menu rotation.

The pancakes were very light and fluffy, and they taste almost like a fluffy peanut butter cookie. The syrup came together in just a few minutes and was definitely the star of the show. The sweet and tart on top of the peanut butter pancake was simply divine. I had a third pancake; I usually try to limit myself to just 2 pancakes. They were that good! I decided to just take an extra long walk tonight! 

Here's the recipe:

PB & J Pancakes

For the Pancakes:
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 cup + 2 Tbsp milk, plus extra to thin if needed
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, melted (I used Skippy Natural)
2 Tbsp oil

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
3. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a smooth batter forms, adding more milk if needed.
4. Cook over medium high heat on a well greased griddle.

For the Syrup
1 pint blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp corn starch
3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp lemon juice

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Bring mixture to a boil and boil for about 2 minutes until it starts to thicken.

(I made the syrup first and then let it cool and thicken slightly while I made the pancakes)



What a scrumptious way to enjoy PB & J
Just add a tall glass of cold milk. . .
 

What's your favorite pancake flavor?

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

I had these 2 ingredients staring at me in the frig, just waiting to be used in some creation:

Have you had this cinnamon sugar butter yet from Land O Lakes?  This is the second container I've picked up "free" using the instore special and my coupon which gets doubled.  It's heavenly!  It tastes very similar to the spread they give you at Texas Road House.  I had a hard time finding it for awhile, but I saw it in stock at Giant Eagle a few weeks ago and it's been staring at me in the frig since then.

I don't remember where I first read about these Apple Cinnamon Pancakes.  I think I might have seen the blogpost referenced on Menu Plan Monday over at orgjunkie.com, but I'm not positive.

All I know is that we loved these Apple Cinnamon Pancakes back in early fall when we had more fresh handpicked apples than we knew what to do with, and they were delicious again this past Sunday for our weekly Sunday brunch.  My husband said it was "a bit of autumn bliss right here in February".  The addition of the cinnamon butter on top makes them extra delicious.  I added a side of ham (from that big ham I bought last week on sale at Kroger for $1.49/lb) and just warmed it a bit on the griddle after I cooked the pancakes.  Our brunch was ready after church in less than 30 minutes.  We all cleaned our plates.

Here's the recipe:

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
1 1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1 egg
2 Tbsp melted butter or oil
1 apple, peeled and chopped

1.  In medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
2.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
3.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, whisking as you go.
4.  Fold in the chopped apple.
5.  Cook pancakes on hot griddle. 
(Flip them when they start to form bubbles on the top of the surface and the bottom starts to brown.  Cook them on the second side until steam begins to rise from the center of the pancake.)

Serve warm with cinnamon butter and syrup.  Dust plate with additional cinnamon if you want it to look more like a restaurant.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
Pure Autumn Bliss ready to be enjoyed any time of year

What's the best dish you've created using a "free" ingredient?

Guest Post - A Leisurely Breakfast on a Snow Day

It's the last day of January!  In years' past, we've usually had at least one Snow Day by this time.  Snow Days are the best when you can stay home and not have to worry about going out with all the crazy drivers!  I have been putting together a Snow Day Kit to use with my kids when (or if) we have a Snow Day in 2012.  I've stocked up on a few special food and craft items to keep us entertained between making snowmen, snow angels, and igloos and shoveling snow from the driveway and sidewalks.  I invited my friend, Amy, to share a favorite Snow Day recipe today.  I love how she's created a special tradition with her kids and how she shares that it took her many attempts to create the dish she envisioned.  I have a few more posts of our own Snow Day traditions I'll be sharing later on.  Tuck them away. We're bound to wake up to a Winter Wonderland and school closings some day this winter!

A Leisurely Breakfast on a Snow Day
By Amy

As any busy family knows, breakfast on a school day morning can be rushed and a little lack-luster to be honest.  My three children each have different wake-up times and school start times, so making a hot breakfast three times in one morning is not happening that often.   Cold cereal, yogurt, and fruit are the norm in my house in the a.m.

However, on the rare and glorious “Snow Day”, my kids are not only pumped-up about playing outside in the snow, but also for the kind of breakfast we all wish we could indulge in daily.  I am talking about the works…bacon, eggs, toast, and the star of this show—pancakes.  These are not your everyday pancakes.  This recipe is one that I developed over A LOT of research and trial and error. 

My husband has had an obsession with Cracker Barrel’s Buttermilk Pancakes for many years.  He claims they are the absolute best.  And, I have to agree.  They have a dense texture and a different flavor from a normal pancake.  I have tried many so-called “copy-cat” recipes to no avail.  They were decent enough pancakes, but they were lacking something that makes Cracker Barrel’s pancakes so special.  Then, one evening while dining at Cracker Barrel, I noticed they started selling their pancake mix in their store.  I immediately picked up a box and studied the ingredient label.  Two ingredients caught my attention…rye flour and corn flour.  Mystery solved.    

It took a few attempts to tinker with the quantities, but I say they are darn close to perfection.  So, please enjoy this recipe--especially on a fun and relaxed Snow Day!

Mmmmm. . . . . . . .Pancakes!

Here's the recipe:

Just Like Cracker Barrel Pancakes:

1 cup     all-purpose flour

¼ cup    Rye Flour*
2 Tbsp   Corn Flour**
3 Tbsp   Sugar
1 tsp      baking powder
½ tsp     baking soda
½ tsp     salt
1            large egg, beaten
¼ cup    vegetable oil
1 cup     buttermilk (plus additional if needed to thin batter)

Mix all the dry ingredients.  Add egg, oil, and buttermilk; stir just until it is evenly mixed (add more buttermilk as necessary if you find the batter too thick).  Let batter rest as you heat the griddle to medium-low heat (be careful with the temperature…the sugar in this batter will cause to pancakes to brown rather quickly).  Brush surface with vegetable oil (my choice over butter because it doesn’t burn).  Cook until edges begin to look dry (about 2 minutes) and flip.

*  Rye flour is available in most grocery stores.  Bob’s Red Mill (see note below) or Hodgson Mill are two brands I’ve seen.

** Corn flour is harder to come by.  If you can’t find it, take yellow corn meal and pulverize it in your blender until it becomes “flour”-like in texture.

F.Y.I. --If you are looking for an authentic Cracker Barrel experience, their syrup is a mixture of 55% pure maple syrup and 45% cane syrup.  I have never seen cane syrup sold in stores before, so I substitute corn syrup.  I know…it’s bad. But, so is fake maple syrup-- so, arrest me now sugar police!

A note on Bob’s Red Mill—I love Bob.  Check out his website http://www.bobsredmill.com/.  All of our big chain grocers carry at least some of their products.  They have an organic line and gluten free, plus an amazing selection of flours.  They even have something called “Green Pea flour”…whaaa??  Anywho, they just offer a good, wholesome line of products that I have found to be consistently excellent.

Ginger Maple Pancakes

My 11 year old daughter thinks one app that would make the iPad 2 even more magnificent than it already is would be the iSmell App.  That iSmell App would be so useful for today's recipe because my kitchen smells heavenly, and the aroma is not coming from the candle in the background.  It's from this double batch of delicious Ginger Maple Pancakes that I made Wednesday afternoon during naptime.

Ginger Maple Pancakes

I first discovered this recipe on a post on 5dollardinners.com.  Here's the link to the post where I read about the recipe.  http://www.5dollardinners.com/2009/12/ginger-maple-pancakes.html

I made them for the first time this fall when I was starting to get a craving for more fall inspired foods.  You know the ones with rich spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, etc.  I was leery as I put together the batter because they seemed a little thin.  The smell, however, was encouraging.  Then came the real test - the taste.  Well, it's like a hot gingerbread cookie under a stream of rich, maple syrup (which I added on top of my short stack at the table).  Simply divine.

Better yet, these babies can be made ahead and reheated for a quick breakfast or after school snack.  I made a double batch today in under 30 minutes while the 3 year old was "resting".   We'll eat a few after school, keep a few in the frig for breakfasts the rest of this week, and freeze some for breakfasts or snacks in the weeks to come.

I also put together a homemade Christmas gift for several special people in our lives this year using this recipe.  I mixed together all the dry ingredients for a double recipe, put the mix in a glass jar, and attached the recipe.  The recipients just had to add the wet ingredients and cook them up at home. 

Here's the recipe:

Ginger Maple Pancakes
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ginger
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk
4 Tbsp maple syrup
4 Tbsp melted butter

1.  Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2.  Whisk together the wet ingredients in a small bowl.
3.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
4.  Cook pancakes on griddle.
5.  Serve with butter and syrup or orange marmalade.

What's your favorite recipe made with ginger and cinnamon?