Guest post from Brigette Shevy
Valentine’s Day is an all-day celebration at our house! My children spend hours making table and wall decorations, writing homemade cards, and dreaming up red-and-pink-themed menus (not all of which are actually usable/edible!).
We like to start the day off with a special breakfast – and these hearty, filling pancakes are always a hit! They are fairly simple to make, but the toasted pecans add that “special” factor. You could even make them heart-shaped if you’re feeling extra ambitious! Serve them with a side of red berries to incorporate the Valentine’s color scheme.
The recipe is adapted from my mother-in-law, and is one my husband especially enjoys. These pancakes are a little bit healthier and a whole lot heartier than traditional pancakes, making them especially yummy during the cold winter months.
For my pancake-loving family, nothing says “I love you” like waking up to a big plate of Oatmeal Pecan Pancakes, served with lots of butter and real maple syrup!
Oatmeal Pecan Pancakes
Makes 10-12 medium size pancakes
PANCAKE INGREDIENTS:
- 1 ½ cups quick oats
- ½ – ¾ cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups buttermilk*
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ – ¾ cup chopped pecans, toasted**
TOPPING INGREDIENTS:
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
*In place of buttermilk, you can put 2 Tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar in a 2-cup measuring container. Add milk until it gets to the 2-cup line, and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes before using.
**To toast pecans, sprinkle them on a buttered cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch them carefully so they don’t overbrown.
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the oats, ½ cup flour, powdered sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla and mix well.
Add additional flour if needed (if using “homemade” buttermilk, you will probably need to add the entire amount of flour). Stir in the toasted pecans.
Cook on a buttered griddle over medium heat. Mix together the topping ingredients. To serve, spread hot pancakes with butter, sprinkle with topping ingredients, and drizzle with warm maple syrup.
I hope your family loves these delicious pancakes as much as we do!
Brigette is a full-time wife and mother who is blessed with three amazing bundles of energy (ages 5, 3 and 1). She enjoys music, experimenting in the kitchen, homeschooling her children, finding great deals, long-distance running, and anything chocolate.
Has anyone had really runny batter? I can’t figure out what I did wrong, but it was more the consistency of crepe batter than pancake batter. I just added more flour, a little bit at a time until it felt like pancake batter. I doubled the recipe, and didn’t expect any leftovers, but they were very filling. We really enjoyed these!! The topping really brought the yummy flavor out. I’m so glad we had lots leftover for the freezer…an easy breakfast for another day! Yay!
My husband’s term for food he loves is, “restaurant quality.” That’s what he deemed these this morning. Yum!
We’re eating these now for dinner.. They’re so good!! Doesn’t even taste like healthy pancakes, even my husband loved them!
Yay! Thanks for taking time to let me know you liked them!
We made these this morning. They were delicious!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
I was planning on making “breakfast for dinner” tonight, so when I saw these I had to try them. They were fabulous! Our 4-year-old loved them. Our exchange student didn’t like them, but she doesn’t like anything. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
You are welcome! I’m so happy you liked them! 🙂
Can you use regular oats instead of quick cooking?
The recipe I adapted this from actually just says “oats” (handwritten from my mother-in-law)…but, the only kind I’ve ever used is quick oats. I’m guessing that if you used regular oats, the final product would be would be chewier and not quite as fluffy. If it were me, I would probably pulse the regular oats in a food processor or blender for a couple of seconds before using them. If you try it, let me know how it works. 🙂
America’s Test Kitchen has tested the adding lemon juice to milk method several times (they are America’s Test Kitchen after all!), and the conclusion is that there is no need to wait 5 minutes or 10 minutes or any length of time. In test after test, there is no difference in the product between waiting for the lemon juice to work on the milk versus using the mixture immediately.
Thanks! I love doing posts for Crystal simply because of all the great stuff I learn! 🙂
Sounds yummy! I’ve been missing your posts (or else haven’t seen them), so welcome back! 🙂
Just noticed your kids are the same ages as mine…it’s a busy season of life, isn’t it?! 😉
Aww… Thanks! It IS busy! If you have any tips on how to make it any easier, please share. 🙂 I feel like I’m in survival mode most of the time!
My kiddos actually all just had birthdays recently (my baby turned 2 today-sniff!) so I guess it’s time to get Crystal to update the ages.
Yum!! I’m always looking for a new yummy pancake recipe, and this looks really good! Thanks for sharing!
Yes, please! My mouth is watering just looking at those beautiful pancakes!
Gorgeous!
Thanks! Feel free to work your allergy-free magic on them if possible. 🙂
Bridgette, you just made me laugh! Oh, I could work some magic on these. 😉
Can’t wait to try these … adding pecans to the shopping list ’cause we’re always well-stocked with the other ingredients. Breakfast-for-dinner is a favorite at our house.!