I’ve written many articles on pancakes since 2006, when I first started writing. This week I’m revealing a huge pancake discovery along with a sour cream pancake recipe I wrote about 7-8 years ago. My immediate family knows how much I adore pancakes! I can eat them any time of the day, and about any way you fix them. Several months back I even told you about my favorite 3 cafes in the Branson West area, to enjoy quality cakes. So, after a bit of time I’ve been able to acquire knowledge that I simply must pass on. “Finally” I got the name of the brand, of the pancakes that taste so phenomenal. They are Krusteaz’s Sweet Cream Pancakes. Roger, Darin, Paul & Seth you are in for a real treat. The flavor is outstanding. All you add is water! If you know of any pancake fans like myself I’ve got the perfect gift idea. Go to Amazon and ship them 5 pounds of mix. After lots of searching I could never find this flavor of Krusteaz mix, in the grocery stores. It seems to only be available in bulk.
Don’t get me wrong here, I adore my homemade scratch pancakes, but the sweet cream taste is superb. One friend caught me the other day and told me that she just uses a flavored sweet creamer in her batter, to achieve the flavor. The drawback there is the fact that it also adds sugar.
I always consider my family and friends around McPherson, Kansas the guru’s on pancakes. This is where Aunt Janis introduced me to using white soda pop as the liquid in my cakes. The result is a very tall and light pancake. Probably our family’s favorite pancake is my dad, Jerry’s, sausage pancake. Ahead of time I will fry and finely crumble our choice of fresh ground sausage. Then I keep it in the freezer to use in gravy, pizzas and the like. When we have sausage pancakes the batter is put down first and then you sprinkle the chopped (warm in microwave) sausage over the dough. It doesn’t take very much.
Then there are applesauce pancakes, usually I add about ½ cup right into the batter. When I was a kid my favorite type of cake was a chocolate chip pancake. Eating a chocolate chip pancake even felt sinful!
Blueberry is yummy, but actually not my favorite pancake. Remember to use the smallest blueberries in these pancakes. You can also make a simple blueberry sauce with the big juicy berries, sugar, water, cornstarch and cinnamon. Add a bit of lemon zest for a little extra twist.
It’s easy to make a beautiful presentation with the sour cream banana pancakes I am featuring today. On the top of the stack I would place a small (and I do mean small) dollop of sour cream and then a few slices of fresh banana.
Some folks are already thinking about using no fat sour cream or light. OK, the light has a looser consistency and it’s a bit lower in fat content. If you must use this type remember that the pancake will not be as tasty as the ones I am presenting. “IF” you reach for no-fat sour cream you might as well not bother putting it in! I’ve been told multiple times that eating fat-free is like putting cardboard into our bodies. Why do they make it then? Because of public demands, imagine that. Just use the ingredients as they are intended and don’t eat as much. Of course sometimes there are real medical factors that enter into play and yes, we have to make modifications. (OK, I’m removing myself from the pulpit at this time!)
One time at Easter I put all the dry ingredients together for a pancake mix and tied them up with the recipe attached. I lined an Easter basket with a lovely fabric and Peter Rabbit delivered the mix to the Sunday school teacher, pianist, organist etc. It was a big hit and a fun way to show you care.
Earlier I mentioned ‘real’ pancake syrup. I don’t like to mention labels, but….I get my syrup from Trader Joe’s. The grade B is actually better for you because it hasn’t had as many nutrients and minerals removed. My husband is still using what I call commercial syrup but Phillip & I use the real McCoy. If you have an Aldi’s store you will also find they carry real maple syrup at a reasonable price. Keep in mind that Trader Joe’s and Aldi’s are all the same family.
Psst….(I’m shipping the Sweet Cream Box to my parents, as we speak.)
OK, let’s get to the recipe. Have a great week everyone, see you soon! Simply yours, The Covered Dish.
Banana Sour Cream Pancakes
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick/minute oatmeal
¼ cup yellow cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon soda
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 ½ cups buttermilk or sour milk
¼ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
½ cup dairy sour cream
2 bananas, mashed
½ cup roasted chopped pecans, optional
Coconut Oil
Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. If you desire to make this the night before mix all the dry and cover with plastic wrap. Make a well in the center of the dry and begin adding the remainder of ingredients: eggs, buttermilk, oil, sour cream, bananas and lastly the chopped pecans. (I often omit the nutmeats as our son, Phillip, doesn’t care for them.) Mix until everything is well blended.
Heat the griddle to medium low/medium heat. When griddle is hot drop about ¼ – ½ teaspoon of coconut oil and swish or brush it around the cooking area. Using a ¼ cup scoop place pancakes down on hot griddle. I often add an additional tablespoon to the ¼ cup scoop of batter. This recipe will render 12-15 pancakes. (I used a new ¼-1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil for each batch.) Vegetable spray goes ‘everywhere’ and it tends to build up on the bakeware over time.
Serve the pancakes warm with sliced banana on the top or even a few extra roast pecans. We served these with ‘real’ pancake syrup and it took very little due to the great flavor of the pancake. Truth of the matter is I never used any syrup when I ate these pancakes because the flavor was so good.
