Pancakes!

When I was walking Patton after work and thinking about what I should have for dinner, I started to think about butter and maple syrup. And that naturally led me to pancakes!

I used a combination of Mark Bittman's recipe for Everyday Pancakes and a CHOW recipe for Basic Pancakes. Mine ended up with that great crisp edge that you see in the picture, but the insides were light and fluffy with a hint of vanilla and the right amount of salt. I added blueberries to a couple of them that I was going to eat right away, but I like the plain ones gently warmed the next day and spread with a thin layer of peanut butter. Yum!

Pancakes
Adapted from Mark Bittman and CHOW
Makes about 10 (approximately 5 inches in diameter)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt (if you use table salt, decrease to 1/2 teaspoon)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk (normally I would use skim milk, but I had whole milk leftover from the vanilla bean ice cream, so I wanted to use it up)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl until combined. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until combined. Whisk in the milk, then the sugar and vanilla. Continue whisking until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the melted butter and whisk some more!

2. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stop whisking when everything is combined. (You don't want to over whisk it.) This batter is very thick; you can add more milk if you like thinner pancakes.

3. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium low heat. Grease the pan with butter, a neutral oil, cooking spray, etc. (I like to use butter because I think it tastes better). Add pancakes by the ladleful. (If you are adding blueberries, plop them onto the batter now.) When bubbles form on the edges, they should be ready to flip. Lower the heat if they are getting too brown. The pancakes should be finished when the second side is golden (the pancakes won't need as long on the second side).