I followed my favorite pancake recipe from The River Cottage Family Cookbook (because the authors live in England they're called "drop scones" in the book). And I used my new KitchenAid mixer which really made everything go so much faster with less mess. Love that!
I just made two little adjustments:
1) Peanut Butter - I added about 3 tablespoons of peanut butter to the batter which adds a nice peanut butter flavor to the pancakes and lessens the need for lots of syrup. They are delicious plain right out of the griddle! Plus, while it may be higher in calories and fat peanut butter can lower your risk of coronary heart disease and studies have shown that peanut butter can help you feel full longer.
2) Soy Milk - Because I'm avoiding dairy my heart did sink a bit when I realized that there is milk in the recipe (duh!). But, before I gave up I realized that I could just replace the milk with soy milk. I was a bit skeptical at first and Dani scrunched her nose when I told her, but we were both pleasantly surprised that the soy milk made no difference in taste or texture.
To make these pancakes a little more special for Valentines Day I quickly warmed up some frozen berries with a bit of sugar and vanilla. And, used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to add a little more "love."
This with a cup of coffee made for a nice little Sunday morning breakfast.
Here is the recipe I used from The River Cottage Family Cookbook:
Butter, 2 tablespoons
All-purpose or white pastry flour, 1 1/2 cups
A pinch of salt
Baking powder, 1 teaspoon
Superfine sugar, 2 tablespoons
Eggs, 2
Milk, about 2 cups (add a bit extra if you add peanut butter)
A little sunflower oil for frying
1. Gently melt butter
2. Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt and baking powder and add the sugar
3. Break in the eggs and add about half the milk. Whisk, gently at first until you get a thick paste, then add the rest of the milk and the melted butter. Beat until you get a creamy batter. It should be thick but pourable.
4. Heat up your griddle with a few drops of the oil. Once it's hot enough turn it down to medium and add a half ladle full of your batter. After about a minute, little bubbles will appear on the surface of your pancakes. Now it's time to flip! Cook the other side for about a minute or so and then transfer it to a warm plate and cover with a tea towel.
5. Let them cool just a bit if you want to use a cookie cutter. It their too fresh they may crumble a bit and if they're too cool they may tear.
Check out the River Cottage blog to learn about River Cottage HQ where founder and author Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall writes about their projects, shares delicious recipes and the cooking school and classes they have planned.
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"Cover with a tea towel", now that's an old time saying! Sounds yummy! Janet