What's Cooking Wednesday - Designer Pancakes

While Grandma DonnaMomma and Grandpa FlyGuy were visiting, I decided to make pancakes for everyone. DonnaMomma asked if I needed help. I said 'no'. Then I remembered J talking about how his mom made heart-shaped pancakes for them on Valentines day, as kids. I took out my heart cookie cutters but realized that wasn't going to work! So I called DonnaMomma back in and asked her to please show me how she made heart shaped pancakes. She does it freehand! I am not artistic so I thought this was gonna be a flop.

Here is what we did for the kids:

Heart

Turtle (it was supposed to be a bear)

J for Motor Mouth

P for Mini Me

Kid's Names

Smiley Face

Chocolate Smiley Face

And, by special request from Motor Mouth.....A Dinosaur

 - Mommy came up with this all by herself!

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

This recipe was taken from Cooking Light's Five*Star Recipes. Grandma Grandma gave me this book. It's the one she used and has pages earmarked...Including this one!

WHATCHA NEED:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup nonfat buttermilk

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Vegetable cooking spray

WHATCHA DO:

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine egg, buttermilk and oil, and add to dry ingredients; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Coat nonstick griddle with cooking spray, and preheat to 350 degrees. For each pancake, pour 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle. Cook pancakes until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked; turn pancakes, and cook other side.

Yield: 9 (4-inch) pancakes.

Serving Size: 1 pancake (WTH? Who eats just 1 pancake?)

WHATCHA CHANGE

1. I was feeding 6 people so I doubled the recipe.

2. I didn't have buttermilk and I know you can put lemon juice with milk instead - I had it but I didn't feel like it. I used plain old 2% milk.

3. We used chocolate chips to make one of the smiley faces. Get creative!

4. Lightly butter each one when you pull them off the griddle.

DonnaMomma suggests using a mixer just enough to get the lumps out of the batter, pour into a mustard bottle (new & empty) to create your designs easier. When you make your design, do it and wait just a few seconds to use a spoon (or measuring cup) to pour the batter on top of the design to make a circle. If you start and stop the pouring, you can see it when you flip it over.

WHATCHA THINK?

Everyone loved the pancakes!

Normally, the kids like to drown it with syrup. They were happy with just butter!

WHAT IS 'WHAT'S COOKING WEDNESDAY'?

What's Cooking Wednesday was born out of The Fairy Blogmother's desire to get out of the what's for dinner rut? Playing is easy. On Wednesday, post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over to link back here, the Home of What's Cooking Wednesday.