Whole Wheat Yogurt Pancakes

I love pancakes. Unfortunately, Matt does not. This is a constant struggle in our relationship.

However…I guess if that’s the biggest issue we have, we’re not doing too bad.

This is my absolute favorite pancake recipe right now. I’ve made these pancakes at least 3 times in this past week alone…I’m kind of in love with them.

They are just fluffy enough, just sweet enough and partially whole wheat (so kind of healthy…?). You should go make some.

Whole Wheat Yogurt Pancakes
(Adapted from Can You Stay For Dinner’s recipe for Whole Wheat Sour Cream Pancakes)
I didn’t have any sour cream so I used plain, full-fat yogurt in these instead…and they were just as divine.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk (I used vanilla soymilk)
1 egg
3 tablespoons plain yogurt

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the egg into the milk. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Add the yogurt and give the batter one final stir.

Spoon a quarter cup of batter onto a griddle or skillet set over medium heat that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray (or butter…I used butter…I like butter). Flip after 3-4 minutes, just as you notice bubbles forming around the edges of each pancake, and cook a few minutes more.

Serve with a pat of butter and lots of maple syrup.

Festive Breakfast - Egg Nog Pancakes

I have a confession to make…I don’t like eggnog. I never really have. I tried it once when I was younger and didn’t like it and ever since then, that memory in combination with the fact that it’s a drink made from eggs has turned me off of it every Christmas.

I do like pancakes though. Mainly because they are an excuse to have “cake” for breakfast. Naturally, Matt isn’t a huge fan but that doesn’t stop me from making them every opportunity I get. I especially love variations on pancakes. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I had just plain buttermilk pancakes.

So, I was hunting for a new pancake recipe this morning, and I stumbled upon Joy the Baker’s Egg Nog (without the Egg Nog) Pancakes. The “without the Egg Nog” part intrigued me and I discovered that they really are just normal buttermilk pancakes with the addition of browned butter, spices and whiskey.

Whiskey? At breakfast?! I’m in.

Egg Nog Pancakes
(From Joy the Baker)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
heaping 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I just used ground)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of ground allspice
3 tablespoons butter melted until browned
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon whiskey or spiced rum or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used whiskey)

butter or a lightly coloured oil for cooking pancakes

maple syrup for serving

Directions:

In a small sauce pan, melt butter until much of the water has evaporated and little brown bits appear in the bottom of the pan. Remove from the flame and add the nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. Set aside to cool a bit.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with the buttermilk. Add the melted butter, being to sure to scrape all the browned bits and spices into the buttermilk and egg. If the butter seizes up a bit in the cold milk, that’s ok. Add the whiskey/rum or vanilla extract and just whisk it all together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to incorporate. Don’t overmix. It’s ok if there are a few lumps.

Let the batter rest, untouched for 5 minutes while you heat a griddle or skillet. Add a tablespoon of canola oil or butter to the hot skillet. Dollop heaping tablespoonfuls onto heated and oiled skillet and cook until evenly browned, flipping once. Place cooked pancakes on an oven-proof plate in a warm oven until ready to serve.


These pancakes aren’t very sweet, so maple syrup is a must! I also had some whipped cream on mine…’tis the season ;)

Gingerbread Frenzy

I went back to work last week…and that, in combination with meetings, rehearsals and seeing a show left me with very little time to bake. Consequently, I started getting a little restless.

So, I went on a bit of a gingerbread frenzy this weekend. I tend to get hooked on a certain flavour and do whatever I can with it for as long as I can...or at least until I get sick of it. You’ll learn this about me.

It all started when I made gingerbread men yesterday for me and the boyfriend’s annual Christmas card pictures…then all I wanted was dark, gingery, spicy molasses-filled goodness. All the time.

This morning I made gingerbread pancakes…and they were kind of amazing. They screamed Christmas all over the place.

And so…I have thus begun my Christmas baking. It’s happening. I hope you’re ready.

Gingerbread Men
(Taken from my Better Homes and Gardens 2007 Christmas Cookies magazine)
These cookies are pretty standard, I like how soft they are, however I’m hoping to tweak the recipe and make some with fresh ginger sometime before Christmas and see how they turn out!

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and ground cloves; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds with an electric mixer. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add molasses and egg, beat until combined. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Cover; chill dough about 3 hours, or overnight, or until easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 F (the original recipe called for 375 F but they burned in my oven on that temp so I turned it down). On a lightly floured surface roll dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut dough using 5-inch gingerbread people cookie cutters. Arrange the cutouts about 1 inch apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 7-8 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are light brown. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

I threw together a basic icing (water, icing sugar, vanilla, butter) to pipe on these cookies however royal icing works best.

Royal Icing: In a small bowl combine 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 4 teaspoons meringue powder, and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar. Stir in 1/4 cup warm water. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, then on high speed 7 to 10 minutes or until very stiff. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons additional warm water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until of glazing consistency.

Gingerbread Pancakes
(Adapted from Joy the Baker’s Gingerbread Pancakes)
The original recipe called for 1 cup of sour cream but I did have any so I decided to use plain yogurt…which I just barely had a full cup left of so I filled the rest with buttermilk. Thankfully, it all still turned out alright.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 Tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup buttermilk
3 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons melted butter, plus additional for brushing the griddle

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 F.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk together molasses, egg, yogurt, buttermilk, milk and butter in a small bowl, then add the flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Heat griddle or 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot enough to make drops of water scatter over the surface. Brush with butter. Working in batches of 4 to 6 (depending on the size of the griddle), drop 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip pancakes with a spatula and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer pancakes to a heatproof plate and keep warm in oven while you cook remaining batches.


Serve with more butter and syrup – or anything your heart desires! (Joy recommends sour cream)

Note: The batter is very soft and delicate, so make sure you let them cook for at least a full minute, before you attempt to flip them for the first time.