Cranberry Pancakes with Cranberry Maple Syrup

If you follow me here or Facebook you know I like my pancakes.  We don't eat them for breakfast we eat them for dinner, unless I'm at big sis's then we eat them for breakfast.  I've tried different types, plain, whole wheat, blueberry, banana and pumpkin but since it is holiday time I got this brilliant idea to try cranberry pancakes.  But I didn't stop there I thought as along as I'm at it (and I have cranberries left over anyway) why not make some cranberry maple syrup.

First let's get the cast of characters out of the way.....

Like said above I have tried all kinds of different pancakes (by the way banana is my personal favorite) and different combinations of flour.  As good as pancakes are using plain old all purpose flour I found by mixing in 50% whole wheat flour most people don't even know the difference, and it's good for you too (well better for you than if you just use plain all purpose flour).  If you notice in the above pic the canister to the right and in the back, I keep pancake mixture (Alton Brown calls it "Instant Pancake Mix") around at all times so when I need it all I do is grab it and mix in the wet ingredients, it's a big time saver.  My pancake mix is adapted from Alton Brown's recipe with a couple of modifications.  Oh I used to use the store bought pancake mix and even made some mix myself (with very limited success) but until I watched Alton Brown of Good Eats in his Flap Jack Do It Again episode I never really understood how a good pancake was made.  If you really want to learn how to make a good pancake I urge you to watch the video, it changed my pancake world forever.

Most fruit when cooked in pancakes is introduced raw but I was afraid if I did that with cranberries they would turn out tart and only partially cooked.  I decided to cook the cranberries first and then fold them into the pancake mixture.  I wanted to try and keep the cranberry as whole as possible so when they started to burst I pulled them off the stove.  I let cranberry mixture cool down before I introduced them to the pancake mixture so they wouldn't start cooking the pancakes before I wanted to cook the pancakes.

Now that everything is assembled all that's left to do is cook the pancakes.  I have learned with my stove (gas by the way) I have to cook my at a medium low temperature to get the pancakes cooked through without burning the outside.  I also find that it takes about 5 minutes on the first side and approximately 3 minutes on the second side to cook properly.  I also use a cast iron griddle that I set over two burners, although this time I used cast iron skillets to cook the pancakes.  No real reason I did that I was just trying something different.  I think the main goal here is to use a heavy bottom pan or griddle to help spread out the heat more evenly.

In the end the cranberry pancakes turned out beautifully, no tart cranberry flavor just sweet cranberry goodness.  And then to top it off with the easy to make cranberry maple syrup will put you in heaven.  These pancakes will definitely join our pancake rotation in the fall when we can find fresh cranberries. 

Cranberry Pancakes with Cranberry Maple Syrup

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

For the cranberry mixture:

1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 cinnamon stick, halved

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (or defrosted if frozen)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the pancakes:
1 cup all purpose flour – sifted
1 cup whole wheat flour – sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted butter

For the cranberry maple syrup:
2 cups maple syrup
1 cup fresh cranberries

Directions

For the cranberry mixture combine all the above ingredients except the cranberries in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the cranberries. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the berries burst, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the berries cool. Remove the cinnamon stick.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

For the pancakes combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet ingredients in another. Whisk dry ingredients together and then whisk wet ingredients well. Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix to the count of 10. Gently fold in the cranberry mixture from above.

For the cranberry maple syrup add maple syrup and cranberries to a sauce pan and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until cranberries burst. Remove from heat and let cool.

Heat stove top or griddle to medium heat or 350 degrees. Wipe with butter or spray with light coating of non-stick spray. Pour approximately 1 cup of pancake mixture on griddle and cook until golden brown on first side. Flip over and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Place in warm oven until ready to serve.