Browned Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Griddle Cakes

Pancakes are special… wouldn’t you agree?

I don’t know what it is, but cooking and eating pancakes now a days always evokes this incredible feeling of happiness and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Now I don’t know if this feeling is brought on solely because of the prospect of filling up on warm, fluffy pancakes with plenty of butter and maple syrup or if it stems from the happy memories I have from my childhood pancake days… let’s just say that it is probably a little bit of both.

Growing up, my three brothers and I would gather around the table on Saturday mornings,just hoping and wishing for one thing… homemade pancakes. Although there was a lot of things we kids didn’t collectively agree on, pancakes were the one thing that we could collectively agree on for Saturday morning breakfast options. I’m sure my parents would have probably preferred to cook something a little bit more nutritionally sound for our family breakfasts but I think the simple fact that we could all quietly agree on what to have for breakfast was enough for them to whip them up without protest.

We four little munchkins would all take turns hovering around my mom and dad as they happily cooked up those round little cakes of joy! My mom would prepare the batter, while my dad was in charge of carefully pouring and flipping the pancakes to ensure that they were perfectly round and golden brown. I would help my mom by whipping the whipped cream to go on the side with our pancakes (because clearly more sugar was needed) and my brothers would take turns learning how to flip the pancakes with my dad. And then once all the pancakes were cooked, we would  all squeeze around the breakfast table that was crammed off to the side of our tiny kitchen to enjoy the fruits of our labour. I love pancakes…

Now I am a girl of tradition – especially when tradition tastes this amazing! So when Cole and I moved out on our own, I figured it was only natural that the pancakes I make for us in our own house on lazy Saturday and Sunday mornings be the recipe that I grew up on, and the recipe that my mother passed down to me. Quite frankly, I only need the one recipe because it is honestly that so delicious, that I don’t ever feel the need to go in search of a new one.

The recipe below for these Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Griddle Cakes comes to you as an adaptation of my mom’s recipe for her famously fluffy and delicious buttermilk pancakes. Ever since we were kids, my mom has been using this one and only recipe for whipping up buttermilk pancakes on lazy weekend mornings, and  needless to say, we were never disappointed. My mom’s pancakes were always light, airy, fluffy, super flavourful, and my dad had a way with the cast iron skillet to cook them perfectly so that they were ever so crispy on the outside – the epitome of the perfect pancake.

The great thing about having a fantastic recipe for pancakes, is that with an established base of ingredients, changing the flavours up a bit is so easy, fun and delicious to do! So when Cole and I awoke last Saturday morning and were unable to decide whether we should have steaming hot bowls of creamy, brown sugar infused oatmeal or buttery pancakes doused in maple syrup for breakfast, (and we seriously could not decide,)  I got to thinking of a new and delicious way to try and change up my moms famous pancake recipe. Thus, these Oatmeal Griddle Cakes were born!

Are you craving pancakes yet?  Let me quickly break down how I took my mom’s recipe for buttermilk pancakes and turned it into these gorgeous little oatmeal griddle cakes…

• First, I made sure that I cut the recipe in half because even though I would love to stuff myself full to the brim with pancakes in the morning… I think 24 pancakes for just two people is maybe a little bit much :p.

• Next, I simply swapped out the flour in my mom’s recipe with a combination of whole rolled oats, and ground rolled oats.

• Next I chose to use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar as the sweetener for these griddle cakes… mostly because I love the taste that comes from the winning combination of oats and brown sugar… mmm yesss!

• Finally, even though it is a bit of an extra step, I browned the butter before adding it to the batter. Now I know that this might seem a little bit over-kill, but honestly browning the butter as opposed to just melting it will add an asolutely killer nutty, caramelized flavour to your pancakes that will not only make them irresistible to you, but if you share these with family and friends at your next Sunday brunch… you will be the star of that party my friend, let me tell you.

So there you have it – four simple steps to changing up a classic, family recipe that suited my mood and the flavours that Cole and I were craving that day. Yes- it really is that simple! So here is the recipe in full everybody and I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did 😀

Browned Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Griddle Cakes

Makes 10-12 medium pancakes (small batch – perfect for two)
** Note: You can easily double this recipe if you are cooking for your whole family **
 
Things you need… 
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup ground rolled oats
(simply place oats in a food processor or blender and grind until flour like in consistency)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 egg, separated
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp butter, melted or browned (I browned mine)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

How to make… 

Melt butter on medium high heat in a small saucepan, bringing to a boil and allowing to brown. Once browned, remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Heat a cast iron skillet for your griddle cakes to medium low heat.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together rolled oats, ground oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, vanilla, egg yolk and cooled browned butter. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk together gently until lumps start to disappear and the batter is smooth.

In a separate bowl, whip the remaining egg white until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped egg white into the batter until just incorporated. Fold in mini chocolate chips and get ready to fry these bad boys!

Using a large spoon or a ladle, spoon the batter into the hot pan. Once bubbles begin to form in the batter, flip the griddle cakes onto the other side to cook for an additional minute or so.

Serve warm with butter and maple syrup… lot’s and lots of maple syrup 😉

Yes, pancakes are definitely special… wouldn’t you agree?

Not only are pancakes incredibly simple to make and incredibly delicious, so they make for a perfect lazy homemade breakfast option that the whole family can agree on, but there is just something special about them… I love pancakes,,,  I think pancake love is going to be my new phrase… 😀

I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as Cole and I did, and that you share it with you family the first chance you get. These are the memories that I cherish from my childhood, and the memories that I hope to make with my own family someday. I hope that you whip up a batch with your family this weekend.

Do you have any great pancake recipes and memories to share? What is your families favourite weekend breakfast? I would love to hear about them :):)

Happy Baking!

KP <3