Buttermilk Syrup

I've been trying to convince my family to steer away from the fake maple syrup, so I've been trying lots of different syrup recipes for pancakes. We all love this one! With a stick of butter in it, I'm pretty sure it's not exactly any healthier than the fake stuff, but it's so much yummier!


Buttermilk Syrup
from The Sister's Cafe

1/2 cup butter
¾ cup buttermilk (I do milk + vinegar or lemon)
1 cup sugar
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract*

Place butter, buttermilk and sugar in a pot. Then turn stove on medium and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add soda and flavoring. It will bubble up; just continue to stir and give it a few minutes for the 'fizz' to reduce before serving.

*You can substitute different flavoring/extracts for the vanilla... coconut, orange, etc. Mike even did root beer extract once (the kids loved that one!).

Zephyr Pancakes

These pancakes are so yummy. Mmmmm... :)

Zephyr Pancakes
2 cups flour
2 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 1.4 cups buttermilk
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cream, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry, just until combined- it's okay if there are a few lumps.

Preheat and lightly grease a heavy skillet or griddle. Scoop the batter onto the griddle with a 1/4 cup measure or a large spoon. Make sure the heat is slightly less than medium.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

This is our go to pancake recipe. The kids love these and we have them OFTEN!!

3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 egg
1 egg white

Mix all together and cook.

Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted by Our Best Bites from Allrecipes, plus my own cream cheese icing

Dough

1 c. milk

4 tbsp. butter, cut into chunks

3 1/4 - 3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, divided

1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp)

1/4 c. white sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

Filling

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 c. butter, softened

Icing (the original that came with the recipe)
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-2 tbsp. milk

Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz cream cheese, softened

6 tbsp butter, softened

3-ish c. powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 tbsp whipping cream

Dough: Place milk and 4 Tbs butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Butter should be at least partially melted. Stir and set aside. In a large mixing bowl whisk together 2 C flour, yeast, white sugar, and salt. When milk mixture has cooled to warm (not hot) add it to the flour mixture along with the egg while the beater (paddle attachment for those using a stand mixer) is running. Beat until well combined, about 1 minute. (Switch to the dough hook now) Add remaining flour only until dough barely leaves the sides of the bowl. It should be very soft and slightly sticky. Continue to let the dough knead for 5 minutes. If you are not using a stand mixer, turn dough out onto floured surface and knead for 5 minutes by hand. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and let rest for about 10 minutes while you make the filling.

Filling: make sure butter is softened well. Mix with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Assembly: Roll dough into a rectangle about 12 x 14 inches. Spread brown sugar mixture (it will be slightly thick, you might have to "crumble" it) over the surface and use your fingers or the back of a spoon to gently spread around.(This was hard for me because it wouldn't stick to my dough. Next time I make these I will spread the butter on my dough and sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar over it.) Roll up from the longer side of the rectangle and pinch edges closed. Score the roll into 12 equal pieces and then cut into rolls. Place in a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover pan with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. In the mean time, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

When rolls have finished rising bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. If desired spread with icing while still warm. Makes 12 rolls.

Click here for printable version.

Sweet Cheese Quesadillas

I made these for Mike and myself last night. They were yummy. They aren't very sweet, but you could definitely make them be, if you wanted. I also added bananas to ours. You could probably use whatever fruit you have and it would work great.

Sweet Cheese Quesadillas
makes 2 quesadillas

Ingredients
4 tablespoons low-fat cream cheese
10 strawberries, thinly sliced
2 whole wheat tortillas
1 dash ground cinnamon
1 pinch sugar

Directions
Spread 2 Tbsps of low fat cream cheese over each whole wheat tortilla. Spread thinly sliced strawberries over half of each tortilla. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Fold in half. Warm skillet on medium-low heat. Place tortillas in the skillet and cook slowly until one side is golden and crispy. Flip and repeat for the other side.

Butterscotch Bubble Loaf

We've made this the past few years on Christmas morning for breakfast. The kids love it!

Butterscotch Bubble Loaf

Serves 10-12

24 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed but still cold

1/2 box butterscotch or vanilla pudding mix, non-instant

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

Thaw rolls until soft (about 2 hours at room temperature). Spray bundt pan. Cut dinner rolls in half and dip in dry pudding mix. Arrange rolls in pan, alternately arranging and sprinkling pecans. Sprinkle remaining pudding mix over the top. Combine brown sugar and butter. Heat together until butter is melted and a syrup is formed (microwave about 1 1/2 minutes). Pour syrup over rolls. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size or even with top of bundt pan. Carefully remove wrap. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes. Cover with foil the last 15 minutes of baking. Immediately after baking, loosen from sides of the pan with a knife and invert onto a serving plate.

Gingerbread Waffles

Perfect on a nice Fall morning!! Kimball doesn't even like pumpkin but he likes these waffles.
3 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 c. canned pumpkin
1 1/4 c. milk
1/2 c. molasses
1/2 c. butter, melted

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. In separate bowl beat together eggs and brown sugar until fluffy. To egg mixture add pumpkin, milk, molasses, and butter. Combine until everything is moistened. Do not overmix.

Cook in waffle iron. Serve with syrup and powdered sugar. Yum!!!

Puffins Anyone?

Amanda was telling me about these little pancakes she found on Bakerella the other day. Bakerella had a craving for pancakes but didn't want to stand and flip them so she tried it this way. We decided to try them out. They were pretty good. Another pancake recipe to add to my collection.
On Bakerella's site she calls them "mini maple pancake muffins. She didn't like the name because it was too long and so her commenters decided "puffins" would be a good name. We like the name around here. It's just a FUN name!
Totally stole this picture from Bakerella. I took pictures myself but the battery in my camera died shortly after I took them and I can't find any new batteries. Oh well...

1 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. sugar

2/3 c. buttermilk

1 egg

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 Tbsp. melted butter

Combine dry ingredients. In separate bowl combine wet ingredients. Mix both together. Pour into greased mini muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes.

You could also add chocolate chips and have chocolate chip puffins!

An Old Wilkins Family Favorite - Easy Doughnuts

I can remember many a Family Home Evening night making doughnuts as a family. My own little family now enjoys the same treat. This was our Labor Day breakfast today. Healthy huh!! I threw in a side of fresh fruit and we washed it down with a glass of milk to get a little nutrition.

The recipe couldn't be simpler:

refrigerated biscuits (how many depends on how many your family can eat!)
vegetable oil

Heat oil in saucepan to around 365 degrees. Poke a hole in the middle of each biscuit with fingers. Place in oil. Cook to golden brown and flip over to other side. These cook quickly so don't leave them. Drain on paper towels.
We made glazed doughnuts. Mix together 2 c. powdered sugar, 1/4 c. milk, and 1 tsp. vanilla in small saucepan over medium heat. Dip doughnuts in glaze and transfer to wire racks to drain. Let sit for 5 minutes.

or......put doughnuts into paper lunch sacks filled with powdered sugar, granulated sugar, and or cinnamon-sugar.

We were talking around the breakfast table that it would be fun to cook the doughnuts without poking a hole in them and them squirt pudding into the middles, or spreading frosting and sprinkles on the them. The possibilities are endless!

Thin Egg Pancakes

Here's another pancake recipe. We like pancakes around here. They taste very similar to German pancakes. My family eats these as fast as I can cook them. We have often said we need to get a few more of the little frying pans so that I can cook more at the same time! We tried it on the griddle--it didn't work. The batter is too runny. A small frying pan is perfect! 5 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted
dash of salt

Beat eggs until foamy. Add milk. Beat in the flour and powdered sugar. Add butter and salt. Pour 1/3 c. batter onto hot greased pan. Cook about 1 minute or so on each side. Serve with syrup!

For my family I do 1 1/2 recipes. Doubling the recipe was too much.

Oatmeal Pancakes

We love pancakes at our house. We have several different kinds that we make. I'll post them as we make them. I like to think this one is a little healthier than the others because of the oats. Ha ha, like there's such a thing as "healthy" pancakes:) Sometimes we add wheat flour and only use egg whites just to kick it up a notch on the health meter. They aren't pretty pancakes, but they make up for it in taste!
2 eggs
1 c. oats
1 c. flour
1 1/2 c. buttermilk (I use 1 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar and add enough milk to make 1 1/2 c.)
1/2 c. milk
2 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. oil or melted butter (we prefer butter)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients together and cook on griddle at 375 degrees