Cornmeal Molasses Pancakes

Being home for break means all kinds of things regarding eating.
It means homemade apple pie,
sourdough bread,
cookies (my dad put hazelnuts in them this time and made them HUGE),
meals that look like a poultry, a starch, and a veggie or two (delicious, but so different from the dining halls),
sandwiches,
and making pancakes!!

These pancakes are flavored with nutty cornmeal and a smidge of sweet, homey molasses. It's like cornbread in a soft pancake form.

Do you put syrup or honey on your cornbread? That's what these taste like. Except a greater syrup to bread ratio.

They're simple to throw together and more exciting than plain old buttermilk. There's some substance, something to make you feel like you really have eaten as much as you have.

Make 'em with your family, make 'em by yourself.
We froze the extras (let them cool off on a paper towel lined plate before freezing so they don't get water/ice crystal-logged) with wax paper between the layers, and a round in the toaster warmed them up just like new.

A word of advice: use butter to fry these. It's worth it.

P.S. Since I'm home, I've been doing some baking, too: Pumpkin Bread and Molasses Crinkles!

Cornmeal Molasses Pancakes
Yield: 16 pancakes

Ingredients:
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or 1 tablespoon vinegar and enough milk to make 1 1/4 cups)
1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter, cooled but if you're impatient that's ok
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
butter for griddle

Method:

1. Whisk together egg, buttermilk, molasses, vanilla, and butter.
2. Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
3. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined. Add cornmeal and stir until just combined. It's okay if it's still a little lumpy.
4. To cook the pancakes, heat griddle to 375 or heat a pan on the stovetop. Add a bit of butter, then dollop the batter by scant quarter cups and smooth flat. Flip when bubbles appear (cook about 1-1.5 minutes per side)

From The Joy the Baker Cookbook.