Our Favorite From-Scratch Pancake Recipes

I haven't posted a new recipe in a long time, and I've been meaning to. But, summer. So I'll post this collection of pancakes for you instead. We make these at least once a week, often times more. They're simple. delicious, and generally a crowd-pleaser, so hooray!

Favorite Basic Pancake Recipe

This has been our go-to recipe for years and years. A friend gave me a recipe that a friend had given her and... I spent a few years tweaking it to make it our absolute favorite of all time.

Favorite Pancakes Recipe HERE

Best Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

 These pancakes have a slightly grainy texture because of the cornmeal, and let me tell you, they taste just as good for supper as they do for breakfast. :)

Best Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe HERE

Apple Pancakes with Sugar Sauce

 I can't even remember how this recipe came about, probably just years of experimenting. These pancakes are packed full of good stuff, but then again, the "syrup" I concocted is nothing but sugar sugar sugar. It's all about balance, right?

This is a fall favorite for sure, when the air and apples are crisp.

 Apple Pancake Recipe HERE

Baked "Puff" Pancake

 This pancake is baked in the oven so it can rise and "puff." It's really fun to watch as it rises, and then as it deflates within seconds of taking it out of the oven. It's light but also kind of dense. I just love it with fresh fruit and powdered sugar.

Baked Puff Pancake Recipe HERE

My literal stack of pancakes when I feed this hungry crew of ours. Hope you love the recipes as much as we do. :)

 

BERRY CRUMBLE PIE RECIPE

Hey Hey! Popping in to share this fabulous pie recipe with you. We are in full-on summer mode over here, living every hazy, hot moment to the fullest! Happy 4th of July tomorrow!

This Berry Crumble Pie could alternatively be named Impossible to Photograph Pie. The crumble topping is so, so good, but it doesn't cut through evenly, the berries roll all around, and well, it's just a mess. But worth it. It tastes fabulous! (It did retain its shape better after spending the night in the fridge.)

Yeah. Attempt #1 to get a good slice cut. HA

What You'll Need

Pie filling

3 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 - 3/4 cups fresh strawberries

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp flour 

Crumb Topping

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup old-fashioned oats

1 tsp cinnamon

6 Tbsp butter, cubed, room temperature

pastry crust (frozen premade one would work fine, but I did attempt my own for this)

What You'll Do

Prepare pie crust if needed

Preheat oven to 425 F degrees

 Place berries in medium bowl; add the sugar, cornstarch, and 1 Tbsp flour, tossing gently to coat berries. Pour berry mixture into pie crust.

Combine the next ingredients for the crumb topping, cutting in the butter with a fork (I used the same bowl). Sprinkle all over top.

Place a baking sheet on the bottom shelf of oven to catch spills/juices. Bake pie at 425 for 12-14 minutes, then lower temperature to 350 and bake for about 35-40 minutes.

 Cool slightly before serving, and garnish with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Yum! (Or eat it straight from the fridge the next morning, plain and cold...it's got fruit in it, it counts as breakfast. Don't judge me.  ;) )

 Here are our other favorite festive desserts for celebrating the Fourth of July. Enjoy!

 Another variation Jonah made:

 

Jonah's Star-Spangled Fruit Cookie Tart

You can find the recipe for this cake in the link above.

Best Blueberry Coffeecake Recipe

Sometimes you just gotta have coffeecake. And coffee. If you've been searching for the perfect recipe, look no further. You've found it! This coffeecake is light and spongy, not at all dry or coarse as some tend to be. And the crumb topping? Just makes it even perfect-er.  ;)

The original recipe comes from my beloved King Arthur Cookbook, which was a special wedding gift by a dear friend. Apparently I have been making this gem since 1999! (Do you "date and rate" your recipes? I always do, more for sentimentality than for actual informative reasons. I love looking through my books and seeing when I first made things that we love to eat, especially if I've cooked with one of the kids and they date and rate it. Makes it so special and meaningful when it's in their own handwriting. And I love the idea of them browsing through my books after I've left earth for heaven and seeing comments in my handwriting, much like I adore hand-written recipes from my own mother. Maybe nobody else thinks this way, but I do.)

Anyhoo. Onto that fab recipe...

The recipe is divided into two parts: the cake batter and the crumb topping. 

Coffeecake Batter

2 cups unbleached flour

2 tsp baking powder

dash salt

scant 3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla (less if using "real")

1/2 cup whole or 2% milk

2- 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

In a medium to large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla (not the milk yet!); in a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Next, add the flour mixture and 1/2 cup milk alternately to the creamed mixture, ending with flour. You just want them blended so it doesn't take very long. Gently fold in the blueberries. **If using frozen, drain and dry them ahead of time unless you want purple-looking cake batter; mine is generally purple.  =)

Coat a 9-inch pie plate or baking dish with cooking spray or butter; pour cake batter into dish and prepare crumb topping.

Crumb Topping

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, softened

Using the same small bowl as before, blend together the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter with a fork or knife until mixture is crumbly. Gently cover the batter with the topping. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until edges are browned and cake tester comes out clean. Let cool before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

PLEASE NOTE: you can easily double this recipe and fill two separate baking dishes or one 13x9 dish. Cooking times may vary slightly so keep a close eye, as it may need slightly longer or slightly less time to finish baking. This is a terrific crowd-pleaser for brunch. This coffeecake also freezes well.

The original recipe calls this a blueberry buckle; I have adapted it slightly, and also refer to it as a coffeecake.

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The Best Blog Recipes 
Link Party Palooza 

Easy Patriotic Dessert: Star-Spangled Fruit Tart

I cannot believe that June is all over, and here we are knocking down the door to the 4th of July! So far, July has rung in the season with 90+ temps and enough humidity so that it and my expanding hair don't fit together in the same room. Yes, I promise you. It's that bad. ha ha

So onto dessert...I posted about this when my middle son, Jonah, first made it a couple of years ago, promising the recipe. And here it is! It's just fashionably late. =)

This fruit tart is so simple, your kids can make it...which is exactly what mine did. ;)

Here's What You Need:

1 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough

8-oz brick cream cheese, softened (I use reduced fat)

2-3 Tbsp sugar

dash almond extract

strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, etc.

tart pan or pie plate (or small pizza pan*)

Here's What You Do:

Preheat oven to 350F. Gently press sugar cookie dough onto ungreased pan, pushing dough up against the edge slightly. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown; cool on wire rack. *Crust will be thinner, so it cooks a little bit faster.

In a small bowl, blend together cream cheese, sugar and almond extract; carefully spread over baked cookie tart and decorate with fruit however you like. We thought about doing a flag design but wanted to try the star, and it came out so well! I looooove this patriotic tart! Tip: mark out your design using a toothpick.

That's it! So simple, and quite the crowd-pleaser! Serve promptly and store leftovers in fridge.

This recipe was adapted from the one found here.

And while we're on the subject of fun, festive desserts, here is another summer staple in our family. This poke cake makes its way to parties and get-togethers at least half a dozen times throughout July and August. I thought that everyone and their Aunt Nancy knew about poke cake, but recently several friends have looked at me with those big, don't-have-a-clue eyes when I mentioned it. Girlfriends, this is for you!

Prepare and bake a package of vanilla or white basic cake in a 9x13 ceramic pan, following directions on box; cool on wire rack. Next, let your kids poke it with straws. For reals. 

Add 1 cup boiling water to a 3-oz packet of raspberry, cherry, or whatever flavor Jell-O and stir to dissolve; add 1/4 cup cold water. Carefully pour gelatin over the entire surface of the cake. If you want to blow their minds, use a red gelatin for half the cake, and a blue for the other. Whoa. (Just reduce the water amounts by a little for each kind.)

Let chill in fridge for 2-3 hours; cover with whipped topping, and garnish with berries. So good!

Please note that this cake is cut and served in the pan, so use a pretty one.  =)

I hope you enjoy the recipes! Happy 4th of July!

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Crepes with Strawberries, Cream & Chocolate Drizzle

Wow, it's Friday! This has been a big week over here. We finally got over multiple illnesses; a certain someone who commutes 45 minutes each way was in dire need of some new wheels, so we got that taken care of (and I still say car shopping is THE worst!); the big trip to see the Red Sox play...and win!; our newest teenager got phase two of braces (let me just come right out and say YIKES here!); more baseball games, soccer games, gymnastics...just the stuff that you do when your kids do the stuff that they do. And even though it can be challenging, I love it!

I still like to cook good things on even the busiest of days, though. Sure, we eat out occasionally, but bigger boys means bigger stomachs, and that doesn't come cheap! So I've got a few recipes up my sleeve that I can rely on when time is near non-existent. I'm sharing this easy crepes recipe with you today because it's an all-time favorite with my crew. And it's really yummy!

You'll need:

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup flour

strawebrries, sliced

whipped cream

chocolate drizzle

Whisk the ingredients together in a large bowl; cover batter and let stand 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, wash and slice strawberries.

Lightly spray or butter a small-medium non-stick pan; you probably won't need to spray or butter it again, and sometimes I forget altogether and they come out fine. Using a ladle, pour enough batter to coat the center bottom of the pan; you'll "swirl" the batter around to cover the entire pan, but move quick, as it sets once it reaches the heat.

Cook for 3-4 minutes or until edges begin to curl up; use a fork to gently flip the crepe in the pan. (I loosen up the edge of the crepe with the fork and then just use my fingers to hold it and flip it over.)

Lay the crepes flat on a plate to cool, but don't place them one on top of the other- stagger them a bit.

 

Aw, this little crepe looks sad...

...that's better!

YUM!

I've found that chocolate syrup works best for these, and I'm generally not a fan of that stuff. But for these? Perfection.

You can load the crepes up with blueberries and kiwi, too, for a delightful no-fuss summery dessert. They are so light and good! For a richer dessert, try a dollop of custard or pudding as a filling in addition to the fruit, whipped cream and drizzle. I bet you'll be making these as often as I do once you see how easy and versatile they are!  =)

Fore more desserts, check out the label in the sidebar...

FYI, these crepes make for a lovely breakfast or brunch item. Simply load them with a variety of fresh fruit and voila! Perfection!

For other delicious breakfast recipes, see our favorite Puff Pancake

or this light and buttery Crumb Cake

Okay, I'm supposed to be going over spelling words right now, so I'd better sign off. Have a super weekend!

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tickle my tastebuds

Recipe Share - The Perfect {Healthier} Blueberry Muffin

Everybody loves a yummy muffin, and blueberry muffins are just about the best things on earth! I'm sharing the recipe I've adapted from the first cookbook I ever owned, my beloved Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, a wedding gift.  :)

This modified recipe uses less sugar and adds a little extra nutrition.

Are you ready? ? ?

Here's what you'll need:

1 3/4 cups King Arthur or other unbleached flour

1 tbsp ground flax seed

generous dash wheat germ

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

dash sea salt

1 beaten egg

3/4 cup milk

heaping dollop of sour cream

1/4 cup cooking oil

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

cooking spray or muffin pan liners

Here's what you do:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and line or spray muffin pan

• In medium mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients

• In a different mixing bowl, mix together milk, oil and egg; add to dry ingredients and stir gently

• Add dollop of sour cream to mixture, then blueberries. Stir gently again- lumps are fine, and batter will be thick!

  **BEWARE- if using frozen blueberries, your batter will turn purple!**

• Spoon batter into pan or liners- we use a cookie scoop. It's so easy the kids can do it on their own!

• Place in oven and IMMEDIATELY reduce oven temp to 400 degrees. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool for a few minutes, top with a pat of butter, and dive right in! YUM! The sour cream gives the muffin a rich flavor and texture, the wheat germ and flax seed give an extra nutritional boost, and preheating the oven to 450 lets the muffins rise really high like those sold in bakeries and pastry shops....just don't forget to turn the temperature back down to 400! I speak from experience, folks. Those muffins were not, well, so yummy.

This recipe makes a dozen muffins, and it doubles well. Enjoy!

Kristen F asked a great question: what about using wheat flour?
I must admit I dislike the texture of the muffins with only wheat flour; HOWEVER, sometimes I substitute 1/2 cup or so of the unbleached flour with wheat flour and don't notice much of a difference. Thanks Kristen!  =)

I should also point out that these muffins are definitely not sweet- you won't mistake them for a cupcake, ha! You could add a little honey, or...AGAVE NECTAR! Have you heard of it? I saw the young, cute doctor on that midday Doctors show talking about the benefits of switching out sugar for agave nectar, so I got some and have been sweetening with it ever since. A little goes a long way!

Overnight/ Make-Ahead French Toast & Blueberry Bake

This French Toast Bake is Oh So Good! 

Perfect for holiday brunches or leisurely weekends, like this one!

Your waistline won't thank me. But everything else will!

Add some Dinosaur Teeth Cantaloupe for the perfect feast.

Your waistline can't argue with that!

Here's what you need for Make-Ahead French Toast & Blueberry Bake:
French Bread loaf
5 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup brown sugar (divided)
1 tsp vanilla
dash nutmeg
1 tsp (or more) cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Here's what you do:
Slice 12-16 1-inch slices of bread and place in single layer in a 13 x 9 pan. In a medium bowl (I use my handy liquid measuring cup/bowl) combine eggs, milk, 3/4 cups brown sugar, vanilla & spices. Pour over bread slices. Cover and refrigerate overnight & go to bed without a care in the world because you were thinking ahead and are prepared!

In the AM, remove pan from fridge at least 30 minutes before baking. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle pecans (or walnuts) over bread slices. Combine melted butter and remaining brown sugar & drizzle over slices.

I really cram in as much bread as possible into the pan- I have a big family, and everyone wants seconds! I haven't had any problems with the French Toast being too dry. 15 slices in there. Good stuff.

Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with blueberries (I usually use frozen blueberries, which might explain the bizarre-looking "blueberry handprints" on the side of the baking dish, ha!) and bake 10 minutes longer or until set. Cool a bit, slice and serve...and get ready to receive much praise!

Enjoy!   =)