Strawberries & Cream Pancakes

I made a fairly important discovery a few weeks ago.

I learned that if you substitute the milk in pancake batter for half and half, you end up with amazingly rich, fluffy pancakes. Seems so obvious, but I hadn’t tried it before. It’s not a healthy trade-in, that’s for sure. But what’s a little bit of half and half gonna do to anyone…?

These pancakes were already pretty great before the discovery; now they are even better.

This recipe is really, really versatile. It’s one of the only recipes I really play around with. I keep the basic recipe written on our chalkboard wall in the kitchen so that it’s always at the ready. And then I tweak based on my mood. I learned a few years ago that you can throw in a handful of uncooked old-fashioned oats and make yourself think they are whole grain. I’ve added bananas to them. I’ve added blueberries to them. I’ve added apples and cinnamon to them. They are always good. Especially on stormy mornings like yesterday.

A few weeks ago, when I added the half and half, I also added fresh strawberries from the farmers market. It has become my favorite version to date.

Making pancakes from scratch is not hard. At all.  And I almost always have everything on hand to make them—even when my fridge and pantry are barren.

Strawberries & Cream Pancakes

1 egg

1 c flour

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

¾ c half and half

2 tbsp canola oil

¼ c old-fashioned oats

4 medium strawberries, sliced

Heat non-stick pan / griddle over medium heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Whisk egg in medium bowl. Add all of the other ingredients except the strawberries. Mix to combine and until most lumps are gone, but don’t over-mix. Fold in sliced strawberries.

Use ice cream scoop or ¼ measuring cup to place batter into pan. Let cook until bubbles form on the top. Flip when light golden brown. Cook until other side is light golden brown and they are cooked throughout.

Serve with real maple syrup.