There really is a day for everything. Squeezed between chocolate cake day and corn chip day is National Blueberry Pancake Day, just one of 365 calendar days in the United States devoted to a specific food or beverage. I must say that National Blueberry Pancake Day kind of snuck up on me this year. But not to worry. Armed with my trusty Driscoll blueberries, a Lodge griddle, and an innovative mind, I began the quest for some perfect blueberry pancake recipes.
The pancake dates back to the ancient Romans and in one form or another is found in most culinary cultures. Its importance cannot be easily dismissed or ignored for worldwide the day before Ash Wednesday is “Pancake Day,” although it is often known by a different name. For example, in New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro it is called “Mardi Gras” and in Great Britain and the empire it is “Shrove Tuesday.” Besides being easy and thrifty to make, pancakes can be dressed up or dressed down to suit any occasion or meal, smell and look wonderful, and just love to be covered by syrup, whip cream, berries, and other tasty morsels. Kind of like a character from a Jackie Collins novel.
To celebrate this year’s National Blueberry Pancake Day I made a few varieties: traditional, crepe, and Dutch Baby. Blueberry is a fruit whose tart acidity plays well with the sweetness of the pancake and its accoutrements. Plus it is a superfood full of antioxidants and other good things. If your blueberries seem a little lackluster, just add sugar, vanilla, and/or lemon zest to perk them right up. And don’t be afraid to innovate in their preparation and cooking. According to W.C. Fields: “The laziest man I ever met put popcorn in his pancakes so they would turn over by themselves.” Blueberries don’t make the flipping easier, but they sure make pancakes taste better.
Go buy some Driscoll’s blueberries and whip up a batch of pancakes!
Note: I was asked by Driscoll Berries to create some blueberry pancake recipes for National Blueberry Pancake Day. This wasn’t a problem since I have been a devotee of Driscoll’s berries for many years. The opinions and experiences found in my blogs are expressly my own. So when I say I like a product, I mean it. I like and use Driscoll berries because they are plumper, better looking, and tastier than other producers’ berries that are available in my local supermarkets.
- 1½ pints Driscoll's Blueberries
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- juice of one lemon
- zest of one lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Place all ingredients in a pan. Place pan on a burner and cook over medium high until blueberries have popped, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat and cook another 4-5 minutes until thickened. Cool.
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- zest of one lemon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1½ cups Driscoll's blueberries
- Confectioners Sugar (powdered sugar) for garnish
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place eggs, milk, flour, granulated sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, salt in a blender and mix.
- Heat four small (6 to 6½ inch) cast iron skillets over high heat with butter divided evenly between the pans, and melt butter.
- Remove from heat and divide batter evenly between the skillets. Add blueberries to skillet.
- Bake until pancakes are puffed, about 18 minutes.
- Top pancakes with berries and sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve immediately.
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 cup Driscoll's Blueberries
- Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. It is okay for batter to be slightly lumpy. Add blueberries and mix together.
- If desired or necessary, lightly butter, spray or oil your griddle or skillet. Preheat griddle/skillet over medium heat.
- Spoon approximately ¼ cup of batter on the griddle for each pancake. When the top is covered with bubbles and the underside is golden brown (approximately 2 minutes), flip pancake over and cook until both sides are golden brown.
- Serve immediately or keep warm in an oven heated to 200 degrees.
Oh how I love Dutch babies….yours look fabulous with all those beautiful Driscoll berries piled on top! Very nice!
I want to come to YOUR house for breakfast! What a feast of terrific blueberry pancakes. And that W.C. Fields quote cracks me up 🙂
I love pancakes and I love blue berries! Never tried homemade blueberry pancakes, always buy the frozen ones! Sounds like a wonderful recipe! Stay happy!!
The blueberry sauce looks delicious. I like that it only takes a few minutes to make. Seeing the photos makes me want some blueberry pancakes for dinner.
these look nd sound so delish I cant wait totry thr recipe thanks