Tangy cranberry pancakes sweetened with maple syrup make getting out of bed on the weekend a little bit easier.
Cranberry Pancakes
There is something almost magical about getting out of bed as a kid and going to the kitchen in your pajamas and smelling warm pancakes. It is a thought and smell that takes me right back to being a kid again.
It is such a warm cozy feeling to see and smell that stack of pancakes or waffles. So many fond memories are why I have such a love of making pancakes for my family. Not to mention you can create so many versions and flavors, from savory to sweet they never get boring.
In all my pancake-making years though I only recently learned that many people throw away the first pancake. Do you do that? I never have and I can’t recall my mom ever throwing it away.
At first, I thought it was surely a joke or maybe that was the “chef’s treat”. But apparently, it has something to do with the temperature of the pan, the oil temp, and the cold batter. The first pancake is never right, supposedly. There is an entire Reddit thread about it.
Let’s get back to making these awesome pancakes. Cranberry buttermilk pancakes will have a thicker batter than you might be accustomed to making.
After mixing the batter and adding your cranberries, let the batter rest for a few minutes while the griddle or pan heats. Resting allows the baking powder and buttermilk to work. When you start to see popped bubbles on the surface of the batter; then you are ready to cook.
Frozen or fresh cranberries work just fine for cranberry pancakes. If using frozen let them thaw a bit before mixing them in. If you don’t you will end up with little frozen batter balls. This could create raw batter spots in your pancakes around the cranberries.
To thaw the berries I suggest pouring them onto a pan or plate on the counter when you get started, before mixing up the rest of the ingredients. That way they’ll have a bit of time to warm before adding them to the batter. It is okay if they aren’t completely thawed when you add them. The goal is to avoid frozen batter chunks.