Note to Self/Everyone: Make Pancakes

Every weekend, I make pancakes. Or my roommate makes them. Either way, there’s pancakes to be had. For me, they are one of the all time comfort foods. For every place Sam would not eat green eggs and ham, I would eat pancakes at 5 other places. I’ve had them for breakfast – no brainer. I’ve had them for dinner, with coffee, because when it’s been raining all day hot pancakes and coffee can kick some serious Humboldt weather ass. I’ve even had them for lunch, using them as bread replacement for an amazing PB&J. Try it sometime, cold, with some Peanut Butter and Jelly, you can thank me later.

I also eat them when the pancakes themselves are plain, with peanut butter and maple syrup. It’s perfectly normal, regardless of what people say. Pancakes are incredible, and can be made so many ways. Today I opted with the same variation I made last week: chocolate chip cookie pancakes.

Before we go any further, go ahead and wipe that drool off your chin.

What makes these chocolate chip cookie pancakes? Chocolate chips – I kid you not, walnuts, and a little bit of cinnamon. They don’t taste like the actual thing, but they’re pretty darn close, plus they make that PB&J even more amazing.

 I start off with the basic pancake recipe, and add 1/2 c chopped walnuts and a little bit of cinnamon, then right after I add the 1/4 c of batter for each pancake into the pan, add some mini semisweet chocolate chips to the top. Once flipped the other side cooks up and the chocolate chips sort of hide away, but make some sweet nooks for that maple syrup.

On another note, since I haven’t written about him at all, this is the hot mess that puts up with me and my antics. His name is Mose, he’s not a girl, he’s almost 2, and he loves carbs. He hardly ever gets people food, and when he does it’s usually in the form of a carb, like bread. He knows the sound the different bread bags make and comes bolting in whenever they’re opened. He always gets at least one pancakes and like a vacuum, swallows them whole without chewing. Today however he chewed a little bit, dropped it on the kitchen floor and then ate them up. He got a special no chocolate chip pancake and then I realized after I gave him one that maybe he couldn’t have walnuts. Sure enough, they’re poisonous. But so are grapes and one time I fed him an entire bag of those because he played with them before he at them and it was fairly entertaining. And then I found out they were poisonous and the cute dial was turned down a bit. So now he lays on the floor, with the usual amount of gas, dreaming and having somewhat of an epileptic fit, but I know this isn’t the walnuts, as he does this randomly right when he falls asleep and sometimes decides to punch me in the face.

Back to the pancakes. Make them, even if you don’t jazz ’em up, make them for dinner and/or breakfast tomorrow, and enjoy them with a nice hot cup of coffee, and if you don’t jazz ’em up eat them with peanut butter and maple syrup. They don’t come from a box mix, which means zero, zilch, nada additives.

Pancakes

Makes 18 medium size pancakes, or enough to feed a small army

2 c unbleached all purpose flour
4 t baking powder*

1/4 c sugar
1/4 t salt

1 1/2 c milk, I use 1%, I would maybe use 2 c if you used buttermilk or whole milk
2 eggs
1/4 c canola oil
1 t vanilla

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and the wet ingredients in a large bowl or measuring cup if you have one that can fit it all.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix just until combined. Do not overmix

Do you hear that? It’s the sound of ease and homemade pancakes throwing out the box of additives you have in the cupboard.

Heat up a skillet and add a small pat of butter. Use a 1/4 dry measurement to add even amounts of batter for the pancakes. Look for slight bubbles and divots in the uncooked side and then flip. You might need to peek to make sure that the first side is cooked. It’s all a matter of the pan you’re using and the stove top you cook on.

Flip away until all the cakes are done then devour them with butter, or peanut butter, and warm maple syrup.

*fresh baking powder makes all the difference. Believe me, if it’s been sitting too long, then toss it out and buy another, then look for the recommended shelf life on the container and write the date it expires somewhere on the can, because you won’t remember when you bought it in a few months.

For chocolate chip cookie pancakes add 1/4 c chopped walnuts to the batter, along with a little cinnamon and then sprinkle chocolate chips on the pancakes when they first go into the pan.