It’s blueberry season!
That means I have been making blueberry everything! They are hands down the favorite berry of the Yoder household. My kids eat them like candy, and who would want to change that?
I get by in the winter with frozen blueberries for pancakes, muffins and the like. Buuuut come July, I head to Michigan for some fresh blueberry picking! It is no secret that blueberry pancakes always win at breakfast time. I couldn’t be happier with this because, I HAVE A HEALTHY RECIPE! Don’t tell Cody and the kids! We have to keep this secret between us. 😉
My kids have always loved pancakes, but it is not the best way to start your day. There are definitely healthier breakfast options out there. I got sick of saying “NO” to pancakes because I was buying crappy box mix, and hit the good old internet to find a solution to my pancake problem. I ended up combining and tweaking these 2 pancake recipes from Martha Stewart into something that is a little more agreeable with me as a breakfast option.
The secret healthy ingredients are bananas and whole wheat flour. And of course, the not-so-secret ingredient is tons of blueberries! The key to super fluffy pancakes is to mix the batter as little a possible. Just gently mix it with a wooden spoon. You can leave it a little lumpy – no need to beat it smooth! Your pancakes will come out tough if you do. Martha Stewart taught me that, and you don’t mess with Martha! Consider yourself warned!
Healthy and Delicious Blueberry Pancakes
- Ingredients:
- 1 c whole wheat flour**
- 1 c all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp butter, melted – OR – 2 Tbsp coconut oil**, melted (If you use coconut oil the pancakes will have a slight coconut flavor to them. Even more YUM!)
- 1 3/4 c milk
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 2 c freshly picked blueberries (Can substitute frozen, but it might hurt your soul.)
- Oil to grease the pan (Don’t use olive oil – Your pancakes will taste funny! You can use vegetable oil, butter or coconut oil for best results. Just remember the coconut flavor will transfer to the pancakes if using coconut oil!)
- Pure maple syrup** to drizzle before serving
- What to do:
Prepare your work area. Put a skillet on a burner, but don’t light it yet. Set your oven to the lowest temperature or “keep warm” setting. (Mine is 175 degrees F.) Place a cookie sheet or platter in the oven, so you can easily transfer the pancakes to keep them warm as they come off the skillet.
Put your blueberries in a bowl or container you can easily grab from. Grab your oil of choice for greasing the pan, a few paper towels, a 1/3 measuring cup, and a nice spatula for flipping. (This silicon one pictured below by Food Network is the only one I use for pancakes. It’s from Kohl’s.) Set all of this right next to the stove so you can reach it as you’re working.
Measure your wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar into a large mixing bowl. Whisk until combined and fluffy. Set aside.
Peel your ripe banana and place on a small plate. Mash with a fork. Set aside.
Crack 2 eggs into a smaller mixing bowl. Whisk gently to break the yolks. Add your milk and melted butter (or coconut oil) to the eggs. Whisk gently to combine.
Add the mashed banana and egg mixture to the dry ingredients.
Stir gently with a wooden spoon, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the flour mixture gets incorporated with the egg mixture. Stir until just combined.
DO NOT OVER-MIX OR BEAT THE BATTER. It is OK if it is a little lumpy.
Now light the burner under the skillet. I like to start it on medium to get it going. Give the pan a couple minutes to heat through. You can tell it is ready when a couple drops of water dance and sizzle before disappearing.
Grease your skillet by putting a few drops of your oil or butter onto a paper towel, and rubbing it onto the surface of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Using your 1/3 measuring cup, scoop and pour batter onto the prepped skillet. Immediately sprinkle blueberries onto the pancake.
Let it cook for a minute or two. You can tell it is ready to flip when bubbles start to pop on the surface and the edges start to look cooked.
Flip and let it cook another minute or two. Transfer to the warm oven.
Continue to cook the pancakes, greasing with your oily paper towel in-between to make sure they don’t stick to the pan. Once they are all done, plate them up with some more fresh blueberries and a drizzle of pure maple syrup!
The breakfast of champions! Or toddlers. Whatever.
😀 Kaitlyn
**All those healthy ingredients would cost a fortune at the grocery store, right?! Don’t worry! I’ve got you covered, my fellow healthy mommas:
At ALDI (Yep. I said ALDI.) you can get 14 oz of organic coconut oil for $4.99, 8.5 oz pure maple syrup for $3.99 and a 5 lb bag of whole wheat flour for $2.79!
I know. Too exciting. Try to contain yourself.
(But seriously! Happy dance! Byeeee Whole Foods!)