Blueberry Sour Cream Pancakes

A very long time ago I fell in love over pancakes. Well, sort of. I fell in love with a boy who was making pancakes; hundreds of them actually. I was 21, working in a summer camp kitchen for a month and in charge of 20 or so unruly teenagers, when over the top of the commercial griddle popped a shaggy-haired, hazel-eyed boy with a crooked smile. He was the resident ‘griddle jockey' and started each morning at 5am making pancakes (as well as French toast, eggs, and bacon among other things) for hundreds of hungry teenagers.

This boy, he cracked me up. He convinced me we should steal a golf cart some of the staff used to get around the property (which we never did), he cracked jokes and that shaggy hair was always flopping in his eyes in the most endearing way. I noticed right away he outworked everyone around him day in and day out, quick to offer a helping hand whenever it was needed. Our jobs were grueling; feeding an entire camp of high school students three times a day isn’t for the faint of heart. Did I also mention we were in the middle of the high desert in August? I can say with complete certainty it was one of the hardest and most fun months of my life.

Fast forward 15 years and that shaggy-haired boy became the man of my dreams. Marriage, jobs, three awesome kids, too many animals to count, a handful of difficult circumstances and many many wonderful memories later and pancakes still play a central role in our little life together.

These days it looks more like shuffling past each other in the early morning hours, slurping coffee, watching the sun rise as our three hungry children (who are unapologetic early risers) wait eagerly for their dad to flip a pancake onto their plate. We have our system down: I mix the batter, he pours the coffee. He flips the pancakes, I pour the orange juice.

I’ve made dozens of recipes for pancakes over the years, but I think these are the best. I love a little sour cream in the batter for the depth of flavor and the way it helps make the pancakes light and fluffy. The secret is to not overmix the dough. A few lumps is no big deal.

These pancakes are loaded with frozen blueberries we’ve saved from the summer and the texture of the pancake is almost cake-like. Lightly sweet with a hint of vanilla to balance out the subtle tang of the sour cream, these pancakes will quickly become your go-to recipe. If you don’t have sour cream, no problem, plain Greek yogurt works just as well in a pinch.

This year for Valentine’s Day, my plan is to make breakfast-for-dinner for my people and these special pancakes are on the menu. I figure what better way to celebrate love-day than with a big plate piled high with pancakes. I can almost hear my children squirming and rolling their eyes over my sappiness, but I think I’ll just egg them on with some kitchen dancing and snuggling. Besides they can’t complain for too long, there’s pancakes to eat.

Blueberry Sour Cream Pancakes

·         2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

·         2 tablespoons sugar

·         2 teaspoons baking powder

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         ¾ teaspoon salt

·         1 1/4 cup milk

·         1 cup sour cream ( or plain Greek yogurt)

·         2 large eggs

·         3 tablespoons butter, melted

·         1 teaspoon vanilla

·         1 cup frozen blueberries

·         ¼ cup maple syrup, warmed

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Pour mixture over the dry ingredients and using a spatula, stir until just combined.

Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl until melted. Pour butter over the batter and gently stir until the butter is incorporated into the batter.

Lightly coat a griddle or nonstick skillet with cold butter. Working in batches, use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop the batter for each pancake. Sprinkle with blueberries. Cook until bubbles begin to appear, and the underside of the pancake is nicely browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the pancakes on the other side, for another 1-2 minutes.

Serve immediately with a drizzle of warm maple syrup. The batter should make roughly a dozen pancakes.