Blueberry pancakes

There are only a few food items I’m not particularly fond of and one of them is pancakes. They just aren’t that great (they taste like dust)—end of discussion. However, anything soaked in butter and drenched in syrup, I can get down with. So I caved and made some for my boyfriend the other day.

We took a day trip to Malibu and stopped for breakfast on the way. Matt ordered a short stack of blueberry pancakes with scrambled eggs and bacon. Hearts formed in his eyes when the waitress brought his plate, but unfortunately shattered to pieces after finding a black hair in the cakes. It was game over for him. The next morning, I decided to surprise him with a batch of homemade flapjacks to make up for it.

I walked to the store while he was still asleep to pick up all the ingredients because I’m the best girlfriend, ever. And keep in mind, this was extra nice since I don’t even like pancakes. It was my first time making them from scratch, so I was a little nervous, but they turned out A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. I recall Matt saying they might be the best pancakes he’s ever had, so—there you go. Even I (renown pancake hater) thought they were awesome.

I prefer my pancakes semi-small and not too thick, so I added a little extra milk than the original recipe called for, and used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to keep the cakes small and uniform. Oh, I also cooked them in lots of butter. Before each batch of pancakes, I rubbed the hot griddle with the end of a stick of butter. It gets cooked into the batter while the pancakes are formed, so it adds a rich, buttery flavor before they’ve even finished cooking.

This is what sets apart delicious pancakes from meh ones, in my opinion. Any pancakes are going to be bomb after a syrup bath and butter soak, but the great ones taste good before all the frills and fuss.

Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• fresh blueberries (or frozen)
• stick of butter (for frying)

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat the egg, milk, and oil with a whisk until well-combined. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until batter forms a smooth consistency. Add more milk if you want a thinner batter.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Heat griddle to medium and rub with the end of a stick of butter. Pour batter onto the griddle using a 1/4 cup measuring cup and immediately sprinkle with blueberries. Cook until golden brown and air bubbles have formed on the face-up side of the pancake. Flip and finish cooking on the other side. Remove from pan and store in oven to keep warm.

Remember to re-rub the griddle with butter before each batch!

Tip: Scoot the cakes around the pan while they’re cooking to soak up all the butter.