Something Old: Blueberry Pancakes

I'm back, food friends! After taking a week to recoup from an illness undoubtedly gifted to me by the kiddos, I'm ready to blog again. And the nice thing about blogging? You can do it even if you've lost your voice.

Today, I decided to go with something simple to share. I love pancakes, and this is the best basic recipe I've ever found. It's based on the recipe in old Betty Crocker cookbook, and you can't get more classic than that.

Crazy Tip of the Week: It sounds ridiculous, but the best way to top any pancake is with syrup and Nutella. Just try it. Do it.

Happy cooking!

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Recipe Update February 23, 2011 - I made pancakes last night and was experimenting a bit. I added brown sugar and cinnamon, and the pancakes were even more amazing. The recipe below has been edited to reflect these improvements.

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Blueberry Pancakes January 2, 2010

After a long absence for finals and Christmas, I’m finally back with more notes. Not that I stopped cooking! Definitely not! But I’m just now getting around to sharing. Hope you’ll forgive me.

This pancake recipe is my go-to for a sweet, simple meal. All of the ingredients are pantry staples, so they’re always on hand. The vanilla extract is something my Mom started adding to pancakes when I was a kid, and I've never left it out of a pancake since.

For blueberries any time of year, head for the frozen food section. Don’t like blueberries? Leave 'em out! Or substitute nuts, raspberries, chopped banana, whatever you choose.

I usually do these for dinner, but if you really want, you can make them for breakfast too!

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 large egg

¾ cup milk

½ cup blueberries (if using frozen blueberries, thaw them first!)

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ Tbsp granulated sugar

½ Tbsp brown sugar

¼ tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

3 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, beat egg until fluffy. Mix in remaining ingredients, except blueberries, until the batter is smooth

2. Gently fold in the blueberries with a spoon.

3. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Heat skillet to medium-low (3-4 on a scale of 10).

4. Pour about one-quarter cup of batter into the skillet for each pancake. Actual amount depends on the size of your skillet and desired pancake size, but remember the batter will spread as it cooks!

5. Cook pancakes on the first side until the bubble on top and the edges begin to pull up and turn lightly golden.

6. Flip. Cook until the other side is golden.

7. Serve with syrup (and Nutella!) and your favorite breakfast sides.

Easiest way to thaw blueberries: Place frozen berries in a bowl and cover them with

hot water from the faucet. Let sit while you mix the rest of the ingredients. Drain and use!

Gently fold in blueberries.

Make sure not to pour in too much batter!

Golden brown and ready to eat.

Happy cooking!