Mary Poppins Pancakes

Practically Perfect in Every Way...I'm talking about the pancakes, of course. These blonde beauties swept into The Traveling Spoon last week, via Lisa at Sweet as Sugar Cookies. She got the recipe from The Pretend Chef, who got them from Martha Stewart Living, so it seems like these fluffy hotcakes are slowly spreading their magic across the food blogging world.

Matt is our resident pancake connoisseur - he rarely eats breakfast during the week (and to be honest, I might not either if I had to get up at 4:30!), but I can usually tempt him with a pancake or two on the weekends - so he was excited when I decided to whip these up for breakfast on Saturday. The recipe promised fluffy, light pancakes and it certainly delivered, even though I substituted whole wheat flour for plain! I halved the original ingredients to get six large cakes - and the best part? All it needed was a spoonful of sugar (sorry, I couldn't resist!).

This is a great base recipe and a blank canvas just begging for customization; I made Matt a cinnamon-sugar version and a couple of chocolate-Ovaltine cakes, but I was daydreaming about combinations involving chocolate chips, blueberries, apple butter or fig jam. Whatever you choose to mix in, these pancakes are a practically perfect indulgence for weekends and weekdays alike.

Practically Perfect Pancakes
adapted from Good Things For Kids: 63 Fun and Easy Recipes the Whole Family Will Love
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar (or cinnamon sugar)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 large eggs
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil (or melted butter, or coconut oil)

Warm a small amount of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs and oil. Pour over dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Be careful not to overmix!

Pour about 1/3 cup batter on hot frying pan, for each pancake. Add toppings if desired. Flip when small holes or air bubbles appear (after about 1 minute). Cook second side until just golden. Serve warm with syrup or delectable toppings of choice.

This post linked at:
33 Shades of Green: Tasty Tuesdays
This Chick Cooks: These Chicks Cooked
Sweet as Sugar Cookies: Sweets for a Saturday