viiiCampbellIs it true that every family has one? A pancake maker, I mean. I hope so. In my family, the pancake maker is my dad. When I was little, he’d make them for us on the weekends. Now that I’m grown with children of my own, he makes them for his grandkids when they sleep over. He’s a darn good pancake maker too. Of course, his secret recipe is a box mix and replacing the water or milk with heavy cream. I said he was a good pan-cake maker, not a pancake maker on a diet.My mama always told me that I would grow up to be an author. I more or less assumed she was nuts and rolled my eyes whenever she said that. It makes me happy that I have, in fact, grown up to be an author, and that my first book is full of pancake recipes. It seems like the perfect way to honor the two people who helped me become the person I am today. Before I get too syrupy sweet (see what I did there?), I’ll just stop while I’m ahead. I’ve poured my heart and soul into this book and these recipes, and I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as my family has enjoyed playing taste tester.Pancakes are a long-standing Saturday morning tradition for so many, and I really hope that this book will help you enjoy that family time even more, preferably while covered in sticky maple syrup with happy smiles and requests for sec-onds or thirds. My other hope for this book is that you view pancakes, which I consider one of life’s greatest pleasures, as more than just a quick breakfast option or something to be topped only with butter and maple syrup. I’ve included an entire chapter of dessert pancakes. After all, a pancake is basically a cake that’s cooked on the stove, right? Sounds like dessert to me! I’ve also included a chapter full of savory dinner recipes. Kids love pancakes, and serving them up for dinner is always a win in my house. Even the breakfast pancakes are very cre-ative, so you don’t have to settle for the same stack twice. Enjoy!IntroductionixintroductionTips & TechniquesButtermilkI know, I know. Buttermilk isn’t something that I always have on hand, either. Why, then, does nearly every recipe in this book call for it? Because it’s the best. Truly. If a pancake craving hits and you’re out of buttermilk, you can do one of two things. Buttermilk powder is usually available in the baking aisle and lasts for quite some time. You’ll just add the powder to the dry ingredients and replace the buttermilk in the recipe with water.Another option, and the one I usually go for, is to add two teaspoons of white vinegar to a measuring cup and then fill it with milk and let it sit for five minutes. I generally reduce the amount of liquid in a recipe by ¼ cup when doing this. If the recipe calls for one cup of buttermilk, I would use only ¾ of a cup of this replacement. If you use the full cup, your batter will be a bit thinner and your pancakes won’t puff up quite as much. Oil or Butter? Just about every recipe in this book calls for a couple table-spoons of vegetable oil added to the wet ingredients. Melted butter makes a great substitute for the oil if you’re in a pinch or prefer to cook with butter instead of oil. OvermixingEvery pancake recipe out there mentions stirring just until the ingredients are combined—and with good reason! Over-mixing will lead to tough pancakes. You want to stir gently, with a wire whisk or fork, until the ingredients are all moist-ened. You don’t need to beat out every lump you come across. In fact, a few lumps are good! We want light and fluffy pan-cakes, not hockey pucks. Swapping FloursI tend to do most of my baking and cooking with all-purpose flour. Every now and then I’ll use white whole wheat and sub that in with no other changes to a recipe. If you’d like to swap in whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour, I suggest subbing whole wheat for half of the flour and leaving the other half white, at least the first time you make the recipe. This will help you to judge whether or not you need to add more liquid to the recipe. If the recipe is too dry, just bump up the liquid a bit the next time you make it. Thick BattersYou’ll notice that most of the recipes in this book produce a much thicker batter than you’re probably used to, especially if you usually make pancakes from a box. This is because I enjoy big, puffy pancakes, and I believe a thick batter helps. I use a ¼-cup dry measure to scoop out batter and pour onto the griddle. If the batter is very thick, I’ll use the bottom of the measure to gently swirl it around a bit, just to lightly spread it out. EquipmentYou can certainly get by with no special equipment, but I really prefer cooking my pancakes on an electric griddle. Mine is just a cheap griddle from the local big box store, but it works brilliantly. I can cook an entire batch of pancakes in one go, and everyone eats at the same time.If you’re cooking your pancakes in a skillet on the stove, keep the oven set to warm and place a cookie sheet on the middle rack. Place the pancakes on the cookie sheet as they come out of the skillet to keep them warm until the whole batch is made.68CampbellStrawberry ricotta Whole Wheat pancakesThese pancakes are packed with protein from the creamy ricotta cheese mixed in the batter. That creaminess stays with the pancakes all through cooking, leaving the centers moist and luscious. Top with fresh strawberries and homemade strawberry syrup and you have one decadent breakfast that almost melts in your mouth.Prep Time: 5 minutesCook Time: 10 minutesTotal Time: 15 minutesYield: 10 (4-inch) pancakes1 cup whole wheat flour1 Tbsp. brown sugar1 tsp. baking powder½ tsp. baking soda¼ tsp. salt1 cup buttermilk¾ cup part-skim ricotta cheese1 egg, beaten1 Tbsp. vegetable oil1 tsp. vanilla extract½ cup chopped strawberries, for servingStrawberry Syrup, for serving, on page 139Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. In a small bowl, mix together the buttermilk, ricotta, egg, oil, and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until com-bined but still slightly lumpy. Spray your cooking surface with nonstick cooking spray and place ¼ cup of the pancake batter in the pan. Cook for 3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Repeat with remaining pancakes.Serve with chopped strawberries and strawberry syrup from page 139.69healthier pancakes94CampbellCorn & JalapeÑo Cakes with Cheddar SauceYou can pour cheese sauce over anything and I'm down for eating it. These corn and jalapeño cakes are just plain delicious. Stack ’em up, pour on some cheese, and enjoy a delicious side dish. You can adjust the amount of jalapeños to suit your taste. Prep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 10 minutesTotal Time: 20 minutesYield: 12 (2-inch) pancakesFor the cheese sauce:2 Tbsp. butter2 Tbsp. flour¾ cup milk1 cup grated cheddar cheeseFor the pancakes:½ cup flour½ cup cornmeal1 Tbsp. sugar1 tsp. baking powder½ tsp. salt¾ cup buttermilk1 egg, beaten1 Tbsp. vegetable oil1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels1 jalapeño, minced1 Tbsp. chopped chivesTo make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a small sauce-pan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and continue stirring over medium heat until it reaches the consistency of a gravy. Remove from the heat and stir in the grated cheese. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Set aside while cooking the pancakes. To make the pancakes, heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk, egg, and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just com-bined. Fold in the corn, jalapeño, and chives. Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto the griddle. Flatten slightly. Cook for 3 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Repeat with remaining pancakes.Serve the pancakes with the cheddar cheese sauce.95savory pancakes118CampbellDouble Chocolate Salted Caramel pancakesChocolate cake with caramel frosting is always a favorite dessert, and I thought it’d make a great pancake too! It’s so much simpler to make a stack of pancakes than an entire cake, and you don’t even have to heat up the oven. The fact that you’re just 20 minutes away from this easy dessert is a bit dangerous, but I think you can handle it!Prep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 10 minutesTotal Time: 20 minutesYield: 8 (4-inch) pancakes1 cup flour3 Tbsp. cocoa powder2 Tbsp. sugar1 tsp. baking powder½ tsp. baking soda¼ tsp. salt1 cup buttermilk1 egg, beaten2 Tbsp. vegetable oil1 tsp. vanilla extract½ cup dark chocolate chipsSalted Caramel Syrup on page 148Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. In a small bowl, mix together the buttermilk, egg, oil, and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until com-bined but still slightly lumpy.Pour ¼ cup of batter onto a heated griddle or skillet. Sprin-kle a few chocolate chips over the batter. Cook for 3 min-utes or until bubbles have formed on the surface and have popped. Flip the pancakes and continue cooking until cooked through.Repeat with remaining batter.Top with the Salted Caramel Syrup on page 148.119dessert pancakesWe hope youenjoyed this EYB Book PreviewThe complete book is available from all major booksellers. Or use the "Buy Book" button and help support EYB.Next >