Sleepover Pancakes
“Mmm-m-MMM-mmm!”
If grandchildren teach you anything, it’s to embrace the moment, because everything about them changes rapidly and constantly. Just when you think your Christmas shopping list is all set, they inform you that they are no longer obsessed with the thing you’d planned an entire themed gift box around. The games they like to play, the things they won’t eat, the things they are afraid of or fascinated by can seem to shift and morph and get discarded, sometimes one week to the next.
Our first taught us this rule, despite that, she is also its exception.
She’s is a fan of routine. She likes to know she can count on certain things, and is self-assured enough to tell you when she doesn’t want you to alter the ritual. Not only is it the rare occasion that we get to take her to a different restaurant when we walk to Sunday lunch, she wants the cookie that comes with the kids’ lunch, she does not want to pick one out at the bakery up the block after lunch, special treat or not.
We began having regular sleepover at the Grandpas’ nights when she was three. She ate goldfish crackers and drew pictures with Grandfather, had elbow macaroni with butter and salt for dinner, and got a Mickey mouse pancake with blueberry eyes and a strawberry nose for breakfast. Those rituals somehow became synonymous with spending the night with the Grandfathers. Almost four years later, we are now allowed to use different shaped pasta. But that’s all.
In the days approaching her next overnight, I tell her I have a surprise. Her expression is both excited and uncertain. I very enthusiastically share that we got a waffle iron, and that I’m planning to make waffles when she stays over.
“I like pancakes,” she says, clear emphasis on pancakes.
I know that look, so I reassure (and lobby a little). “Of course, who doesn’t? Waffles are basically pancakes with a crispy crust. I know you like waffles, too. And I was thinking we could have whipped cream and maybe some strawberries. Doesn’t that sound good?”
“I like pancakes.” This time, it’s matter-of-fact and amusingly dismissive for a six-year-old.
She’s growing up fast, so, eventually, we might manage to have those waffles…or maybe even something altogether different. (Breakfast is one of my favorite meals to make, after all.) The one thing that won’t change? Grandpa will always be one of the things she knows she can count on.
These are the pancakes that elicit the dramatic “Mmmmmm” (and a round of giggles) from her and my husband both. Enjoy!
These are some of the items I find especially helpful for this bake. (These are affiliate links.)
King Arthur Dried Buttermilk Powder
Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Extract
Oxo 3-Piece Mixing Bowl Set
U-Taste Heat Resistant Flexible Silicone Spatula
Sleepover Pancakes
makes 16 pancakes
INGREDIENTS
2 cups good all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons King Arthur Buttermilk Powder
1 + 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
A generous pinch of nutmeg
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1 + 3/4 cups half-and-half
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl (preferably a spouted batter bowl with a handle), whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and sour cream until smooth. Add the remaining wet ingredients and whisk until very smooth.
Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, fold and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
While the batter is resting, heat a griddle or a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.
To cook, add a small amount of oil or cooking spray to the pan, then wipe lightly with a paper towel. Pour the batter in 1/4-cup pools, leaving plenty of space between for them to spread (and to make it easier to flip them). When bubbles cover the top and sides of the pancake, gently flip the pancakes and cook until just firm and browned on the underside — do not press on the pancake.
Save time in the morning by prepping the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients the night before, then stir them together while you’re having your first cup of coffee.
To keep the pancakes warm while you cook additional batches, lightly coat a wire cooling rack, set it into a rimmed baking sheet, and place in the oven at 200° (or the ‘warm’ setting, if your oven has that option).
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