Oatmeal Pancakes

Do pancakes on a weekday morning seem to good to be true, or too difficult for working or crazed parents? Well, that doesn’t have to be the case anymore, as I found recipe where most of the batter can be made ahead the night before. Yippee!  I’m not even sure if I made any sense there in my intro, (see, I’m typing this up at 5:00 am, so bear with me) but basically the batter for these pancakes can be made ahead the night before, so all you have to do in the morning (when you’re all tired, crazed and sleepy-eyed) is melt some butter, (in the microwave folks, so it’s like 30 seconds here) crack and egg, mix both into the batter, get out your griddle and within 10 minutes you will have some hot fresh oatmeal pancakes and some happy kids (or adults) in your house!

These pancakes are totally kid approved and always get devoured when I make them up. I always seem to have an extra kid or two sleeping over, (especially in the summer) so when I do, I usually make a double batch of this recipe, but for the 3 of us, this single batch is perfect!  These pancakes have a unique flavor and texture to them, they’re a bit chewy and satisfying, unlike traditional pancakes which leave me wanting more as they’re too light and airy.  These pancakes also brown up quickly and beautifully with crispy, lacy edges. I feel pretty proud making a batch of these, as they always turn out perfectly browned and beautiful.  I never seem to have that first lame and awkward pancake, as each pancake comes out perfectly!  Thank you oatmeal pancakes for making my job as a mom look easy! You rock!

oatmeal pancakes:

recipe from Orangette
makes about 9 pancakes – feel free to double the recipe if you’re feeding a crowd

You will have to plan ahead to make these, as the oats and buttermilk need to sit together overnight.

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats, also called rolled oats – do not use quick or instant oats! – You can also make this gluten-free by using gluten-free oats from Bob’s Red Mill
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine kosher salt
• 1 large or extra-large egg, lightly beaten – I always use extra-large eggs
• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted but not hot
• coconut oil, for greasing the pan
• toppings such as maple syrup, jam, fresh seasonal berries or honey

The night before: In a medium sized bowl, mix together the 1 cup oats and the 1 cup buttermilk. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator overnight.

I also like to make the dry mixture the night before as well, as it saves me an extra step or two in the morning. Get out a small jar or glass container (I love using my Ball Mason Jars Wide-Mouth Can or Freeze – 16 oz 12pk16oz ball mason jars for this) and add to it the 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and the 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Quickly whisk the dry ingredients together, or put the lid on jar and give it a few shakes to mix everything together. Put the lid on the jar, and store at room temperature.

That’s all there is to it, now you can hit the hay and get a good nights rest!  Good night!

The next morning: Melt the 1/2 stick of butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Let it cool for about 5 minutes.

Crack the egg into a small bowl and lightly whisk it.

Take out the bowl of buttermilk and oats from the refrigerator and give it a quick stir.

Add the beaten egg and melted butter to the oat mixture, and stir/whisk well.

Add the flour mixture to the oat mixture and whisk to combine. The batter will be pretty thick.

Lightly oil a saute pan or non-stick griddle and turn the heat up to medium-low or to medium. I turned my heat up to medium. My boyfriend Steve, who is a pancake master, gave me a great tip for testing your griddle. Sprinkle some water on the griddle, if it’s hot enough the water will crackle, if it’s too hot the droplets will immediately evaporate and smoke. Easy right?

When the pan or griddle is hot, take a 1/4 measuring cup and pour your pancake batter onto the griddle. Make sure to leave ample space between the pancakes to allow the batter to spread.  Not the prettiest picture, but it shows you what the batter will look like on the griddle.

Flip the pancakes when the bottom is nicely browned and the tops looks set around the edges. Cook until the second side has browned. Seriously, isn’t that a perfectly browned pancake?  I just want to grab it and take a bite right now!

Re-grease the skillet, (if needed)and repeat with more batter. If you find that the pancakes are browning too quickly, turn down the heat.

That’s all there is to it! When they are browned the way you like them, just take them off the griddle and top them with your favorite toppings.

Eli loves slathering them with warmed maple syrup and fresh berries. To warm the maple syrup, I just pour a bit of syrup into a small bowl or ramekin and then microwave it for about 12-15 seconds.  Warm maple syrup is the best. I mean who wants to top warm pancakes with cold syrup?  Not me!

Zoe and I love topping our pancakes with some homemade blackberry chia jam (recipe soon) and fresh berries, or we love just eating them plain kind of taco style with some fresh berries in-between!  You don’t need to top them with too much sweet, as they have a flavor all their own.

Come on, why not give these pancakes a try and surprise your loved ones one morning!

Feel free to top these pancakes with these easy sautéed cinnamon apples.

I also love these almond flour pancakes! These are the pancakes I eat before a huge mountain bike ride or a day surfing at the beach.  These pancakes are gluten-free, dairy free, grain-free and contain no refined sugar, as they use honey as the sweetener! They are protein filled little hotcakes!