Pancakes are something that we usually eat all the time. We buy our mixes, add water, and cook them up. The thing is that they are ridiculously easy to make, yet we never seem to make them from scratch! I did not mainly because making or buying "Buttermilk" was a about as much as a hassle as killing every stupid Poe for a bottle on Zelda! Why should I do that unless I want absolute perfection? (I did it anyways, but I digress)
In Zelda, that last bottle is not "necessary", you can still win the game without it, but we prefer to unlock every possible thing to "master" the game. While you can make all the Buttermilk Pancakes you wish from scratch, why not simply make some simpler ones? There pancakes are as easy as buying a Bottle of Lon Lon Milk to get a free bottle! Especially compared to dealing with the other things to do for the "better" ones. (I wonder if anyone understood that rant/analogy...)
If you live on Grandmas ranch you may have three sticks of butter and two cups of Buttermilk on hand, but most people don't, sorry Food Network!
These pancakes take no buttermilk, they do not require a stick of butter, and they hardly require anything more than your pantry basics! Easy! And, you can make as many variations of pancakes as you want from this simple batter! I will go over three ways to make these. (Oh my goodness, just like the first three bottles in Zelda!...Okay, I'll stop...)
What you will need:
- Frying Pan
- Oil or Butter, to coat the pan
- Spatula
- Whisk
- Medium Bowl
- Small Bowl
- Measuring cup or ladle to pour
Ingredients:
Basic Batter
- 1 Cup Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Egg
- 1 Cup Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Oil (Olive or Vegetable)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Nutmeg and Cinnamon
Add these additional ingredients to make the varieties!
Stuffed Pancakes
Filling
- 1/2 Cup Ricotta
- 1/2 Cup Plain Yogurt (I used Greek)
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
Pancake
- Mixed Berries, to taste
(You will also need 2 more small bowls and a spoon)
Chocolate Pancakes
- 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
- 1 1/2 - 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- Chocolate Chips (Optional)
Blueberry Pancakes
- Blueberries, to taste (duh...)
- A pinch more of Cinnamon and Nutmeg
Mix the dry ingredients together in the bowl until fully integrated and it looks smooth, basically mix out any clumps.
Beating the egg in a separate, small owl is a good idea. This way if the egg is rotten it will not ruin the batter, most chefs do this. If you're lazy, just crack it into the bowl and pray for freshness!
Add the egg and the other wet ingredients to the dry mix, and mix together.
Add the scoop and get ready to cook!
Now, when you buy the mix they just have all the berries or chips or whatever in the batter mix. The best thing is to add these to the individual pancakes and not into the batter.
Heat the pan to Medium-Low, and coat the pan with lubricant of choice. The batter will spread out as it cooks, so you don't need to pour nearly as much as you first think.
Stuffed Pancakes
Mix all the ingredients for the filling into a bowl, so the sugar is thoroughly mixed in.
Cut all the berries into small pieces and microwave for about 1 minute to soften them up.
Pour the batter and allow it to cook for a minute or two, when the bubbles are forming and it is almost ready to flip.
Add the creamy filling to the center, and top that with the berries. You want about one regular sized spoon scoop each.
Cover the top with a bit more batter, just to cover the fillings.
Carefully and quickly flip the pancake over and allow that side to cook for a couple minutes. Flip and let each side cook for another minute.
If there are berries left after you cook them, add those to the top along with the berry juice from cooking in the bowl. Serve how you like them! I like Syrup and powdered sugar myself!
Chocolate Pancakes
Add the cocoa powder and extra sugar to the mix and stir.
Pour the batter into the pan, it will probably be a bit thicker than the others. Top with chocolate chips, or any other chip or fruit you like! Flip and cook the other side. Cook each side, after flipping, about another minute each!
Since Valentines day is coming up, you can add red coloring to them to make "Red Velvet", or even add white chocolate chips! If you are super mushy, you can shape them like a heart (awwwww), because nothing says "I Love You" like heart shaped breakfast food!
Use a smaller spoon or a cookie cutter to shape these. You can cut the sides to help the shape alone after cooking as well.
Blueberry Pancakes
For these, just add blueberries to the pancakes as they are cooking, as well as the extra Nutmeg and Cinnamon to the batter.
Blueberry Pancakes are so happy!
You can also add the batter to a Zip Bag, cut the tip, and shape them any way you want that way!
Pancake basics are very simple.
Don't make the batter too thick or thin! It should spread out evenly and not be too runny, sliding all over the pan, or too thick, which makes them...gross. You should be able to pour them slowly and evenly. Add milk or flour if the consistency is off.
Quickly flip! Doing it too slowly makes it harder, believe it or not. You need a well coated pan so they do not stick at all. The sides should firm up and there should be bubbles atop the whole cake when they are ready.
Lower and Slower! Don't put them on high, or you will have a burnt and runny pancake, yuck! So on a scale of 1-10, cook them at about 5.
Scoop small! Like I said, they spread out. Don't pour them as big as you want them, but less than half of the size you want. Using a scoop is smart, it makes things easier!
These ones are crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside, I know that there is a lot of Baking Powder, but that makes them fluffy!
This is a simple, easy recipe, nothing fancy. I am not claiming that they are "the best", but for how quick and simple they are, they are pretty dang good! So I hope you enjoy these!
Enjoying the noms of their labor,
-C.A.M.
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