Pecan Pancakes with Molasses

Pretty simple batch for a Friday morning while iced in. The secret on things like nuts in poancakes is to toastr them in advance. Basic recipe from the Bisquick box with a little molasses in the batter. You want to take it easy on anything sugary in the batter since it may cause the outside of the pancake to caramelize to the point of being a little burnt before the inside is done.

The other tip on this is to pour the pancake and then sprinkle the nuts into the wet batter on the griddle. Adding nuts (and raisins and anything else) into the batter ahead causes them to clump or collect at the bottom of the bowl and getting even distribution on each pour is difficult. You can push them down into the pancake batter on the griddle with a toothpick if you want it more distributed in the cake vertically, but this is not necessary.

I finished these with molasses, which is an awesome sub in for syrup, but it does not spread and tends to soak into the pancake quickly. My preference is to put on the molasses and then follow up with some syrup for moistness.

Blackberry Corn Cakes

This weekend I made corn pancakes with blackberry sauce. Corn pancakes are really simple and the recipe is right on the side of the box of Jiffy Mix. This recipe can be a little runny when putting it down on the griddle, but the cakes themselves fluff up and have a good texture, but are denser than a Bisquick pancake. Corn pancakes have a slight sweetness to them and actually do really well for savory recipes. I like them with a scoop of shredded BBQ on top.

For this breakfast I made the pancakes per the Jiffy box recipe. You have to watch that they don't get too dark. They are more delicate than standard cakes when they are cooking and the temptation to let them firm up a little more before turning is there. I do bring my stove down one notch to a 4 from the 5 I normally use for cooking Bisquick pancakes. They do give you really pretty caramelization patterns on the second side which can really give the plate a nice rustic look.

Blackberries were on sale for 99 cents, so we had some of them waiting to be the star of breakfast. I put them in a pan with a little Gran Gala and went over them with a fork once to break them and get the juice out. A little sugar and I let that simmer while I made the batter and the cakes.

The results were awesome. Topped with a little greek yogurt, a dried tomato and feta muffin and some thick cut bacon on the side. (Yes, that is a toddler noggin in the background. He was on his way up into the chair to eat the photoshoot.)