Growing up, pancakes were always a staple on Saturday mornings. My mom used to make pancakes from Bisquik, and even though they weren’t homemade they were still delicious. Once I got into cooking, I of course had to try my hands at homemade pancakes, and let me tell you they are so worth it and actually really easy. I’ve probably tried every boxed pancake mix that’s available, and I must say the Bisquik ones are the closest to homemade – the rest just yield flat, cardboard tasting pancakes.

Pancakes should be fluffy and soft with a slightly sweet yet slightly tangy flavor – perfect for topping with butter and syrup. You can go for the classic maple if you’d like, just please go for true maple syrup and not the fake stuff! Or, you could try my new favorite – apple butter syrup, which is very simple to do and adds a nice twist on this breakfast favorite.

This recipe uses buttermilk, but if you don’t have any and want to make them on the fly, you can use regular milk and vinegar. Just measure out the milk and add two tablespoons of white vinegar; allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes while you prepare the rest of ingredients. The acidity from buttermilk acts as a leavening agent, which basically means it lightens the batter, resulting in fluffy pancakes. 

You may notice in the photos that the pancakes have uneven brownness, this is because that’s how I like them. I love the crispy edge on pancakes, and I don’t care that they look imperfect. If you want them to have a more even brown color, like you would find in a restaurant, melt the butter on the griddle and then soak up the excess with a paper towel. By doing that method you will achieve an even brown color and have no crispy edge. It’s just a personal preference, but I figured I should mention it incase you are particular about the look of your pancakes!

I love maple syrup, but I had an open jar of my homemade apple butter hanging out in the fridge and I wanted to use it somehow for the pancakes. I considered adding it into the batter, or just topping them with it, but then I thought how great it would be in syrup form. I was right – it’s a perfect compliment to the pancakes and adds something a little unexpected. I think once you try these pancakes they will become a weekend staple in your house too – they are just too good to pass up!

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FLUFFY PANCAKES

Making fluffy homemade pancakes is definitely worth the extra effort – no more store-bought mixes! I like to serve them with butter and my apple butter syrup – makes a perfect start to your Saturday morning. 

INGREDIENTS

Pancakes:
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs
2 Cups Buttermilk
¼ Cup Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled, plus more for the griddle.

Apple Butter Syrup:

1/3 Cup Apple Butter
1/3 Cup Water 

DIRECTIONS

For the pancakes:
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a small bowl beat the eggs and the buttermilk and butter; whisk until smooth.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold with a spatula (do not whisk) until just combined – lumps are ok in the batter, you don’t want to over mix. Set the batter aside for 5 minutes.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat, lightly butter the griddle, and gently ladle small amounts of batter (~1/3 cup) onto the hot surface. Cook the pancakes over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pancakes, flip and cook about 2 minutes on the other side until they set and are golden brown. Continue with the rest of the batter.

For the syrup:

In a small saucepot whisk together the water and apple butter and heat over medium-low heat until warm.

Serve the pancakes with butter and the warm apple butter syrup. 

Recipe adapted from All Recipes.

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