Pancakes are a favorite breakfast dish in our house, both for the maker and the eaters. As the maker, I like pancakes because they are quick to make, easy to clean up, and can be modified individually. Even though they’re a simple dish, it still gives me the warm-fuzzy feeling from making food for someone else. The eaters like them because they can have chocolate chips as part of their breakfast. (Note: Said eaters would be the children of the house. The adults prefer fruits to chocolate.)
Last Sunday, I decided to make a batch of pancakes, but I wanted to do something more than simply add a few slices of banana. I wanted to do something that would change the flavor of the entire pancake. With a bag of cherries in the refrigerator, the fruit decision was easy, but that wouldn’t produce enough change. Then, it occurred to me that if I switched vanilla extract for a different flavor, the pancake would be quite different. Almond extract seemed like the perfect complement for cherries.
Unfortunately for me, my second brainstorm on these pancakes occurred as I was eating them. The addition of slivered almonds would be fantastic, or at least I imagine so. The crunch and extra flavor could make these pancakes even more tasty. The next time that I make a batch, I will be sure to add them. I will leave a note in the comments to let you know if it was successful or not.
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 – 1 cup skim, almond, or oat milk*
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 15 pitted cherries
- In a large mixing bowl or 8-cup measuring cup, whisk egg.
- Add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, and almond extract; whisk until just combined.
- Heat electric griddle to 300 or place griddle over medium heat.
- While warming, chop cherries coarsely.
- Pour batter onto griddle, making pancakes desired size.
- Sprinkle a handful of cherries onto each pancake.
- Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, or until bubbles burst and the batter does not fill the hole.
- Flip and cook for another 3 minutes on the second side. Pancakes should be golden brown.
- Transfer pancake to plates for eating.
- Top with butter and syrup, and enjoy!
- *The amount of milk used will depend on the thickness of pancake that you prefer.
- Makes 6-8 6-inch pancakes.
