Love blueberries! Love cornmeal! So when I saw this recipe (having bought blueberries just yesterday and forgetting why), I jumped up from my chair (well…, not exactly “jumped”) to make an impromptu special breakfast since it was my son’s one day off this week. And he was HOME. And he was UP! What an opportunity!! I saw this recipe on Pinterest, pinned from Tracy’s Culinary Adventures and she got it from Fine Cooking. Fine Cooking has published the recipe in their “Big Buy Cookbook“. Long pedigree, I know, and it’s a keeper.
This recipe makes a lot of batter. I am not even half way through it and I’m full, my son is full, my grandson is full, my daughter is full, and my daughter’s guest and her two kids are full! Make ’em and freeze ’em, I say! Or mix up the dry ingredients, divide into three parts, and make one part now with 1 egg and 1/3 of the rest of the liquid ingredients. Save the rest of the dry ingredients in an airtight container until needed. If you don’t have buttermilk substitute milk stirred with a bit of lemon juice or vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes, or use buttermilk powder (add the powder into the flour then add an amount of milk or water equal to that of the buttermilk in with the liquid ingredients. If you do use buttermilk, and you have some leftover, remember that you can freeze buttermilk so you have some on hand next time.
Tracy didn’t make the Spiced Maple Butter, I don’t know why, but I quite enjoyed it! If you make it, taste it. As written, the butter is very, very lightly spiced. Not a tinge of heat. Next time I would up the spices a bit, maybe using 1/2 teaspoon chili powder ( or 1/4 tsp cayenne). I can’t believe I am saying this! My taste buds must be changing. I really am (or used to be, I guess) a pepper wimp.
Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes
- 1 3/4 cups (7 3/4 oz) all-purpose flour (I used 3/4 cup of white whole wheat flour and 1 cup of all-purpose)
- 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon sugar (I was tempted to add more, I like sweet, but I am glad I didn’t)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 cups buttermilk (I used about 1/4 cup more, I like a thinner batter)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (all out! How can I be out of oil? Substituted melted butter)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (was tempted to add some grated lemon zest, too)
- 1 pint blueberries, rinsed
- Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients, and gently whisk just until combined. The batter should be a bit lumpy.
- Heat the frying pan, reduce the heat to medium, and then add 1 teaspoon of oil or butter. Once the oil/butter is hot, use paper towels to wipe the pan so only a thin, even coating of oil covers the bottom and sides.
- Use a 1/3-1/2 cup measure to portion the batter into the hot pan.
- Sprinkle some blueberries over the surface of the pancake (do this evenly so every bite has at least one blueberry!).
- Cook on the first side until the edges are set and the bottom browned, about 3 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook on the second side until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 more minutes. If not serving immediately, transfer the cooked pancakes to a wire rack in a preheated 200 degree oven.
- Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil to the pan if necessary.
- Makes about 15 pancakes 1/3 cup pancakes.
Serve with butter, maple syrup and/or more blueberries or this fabulous topping…
Lightly Spiced Maple Syrup
- 4 oz. (1/2 cup/1 stick) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp. chili powder
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- Stir the chili powder and cinnamon into the butter. Add the maple syrup and heat in microwave until you have a beautiful, pourable syrup. Pour a little over your pancake. YUM.