Peaches Make Pancakes Pop with Flavor!

“Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring, and because it has fresh peaches in it.” - Alice Walker

It’s Sunday morning, and that generally means pancakes around my house.
Each Sunday, I base my pancake recipe on how I feel that morning. It might include a different nut or fruit added to the batter or a little something extra added to the syrup. A good example of this would be this recipe from Melissa’s for Banana Pancakes! The organic bananas added to the batter and organic strawberries heated in the syrup make for a perfect combo. My usual go-to’s in the nut department are walnuts or pecans, which are always a nice addition— but if you want to try something really special, try the Macadamia Nut Pancakes. Wow! The rich, buttery macadamia really takes your pancake to a whole other level of richness.

While I don't often make buckwheat pancakes, I always enjoy them when I have them. This recipe for Old-Fashioned Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup makes me want to incorporate these cakes and this syrup into my pancake rotation more often. Today, though, my thoughts turn to peaches! It’s June, which means Melissa’s fresh organic peaches are in season.

Since pancakes and peaches are two of my favorite things, it got me thinking: What might make the perfect combination for the perfect summer Sunday morning? Then it hit me! Organic peach pancakes with maple cream. I found and adapted a recipe from the Woks of Life website that will now be part of my summer pancake routine. Often, I’ll use an organic boxed mix for the pancakes (especially if I get too immersed in the Sunday paper), but this recipe starts from scratch, and it's well worth the effort.

Peach Pancakes

Ingredients
¾ cup crushed fresh Melissa’s organic peaches (peeled first)
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ tablespoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup whole milk (at room temperature)
1 medium egg (at room temperature)
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons melted organic butter (plus more for the griddle)
Fresh Melissa’s organic peach wedges (to serve)
For the maple cream syrup:
2 tablespoons heavy cream
½ cup organic maple syrup

Directions
First, peel fresh, ripe peaches and gently crush them with a fork to release juices and flavor with minimal equipment and cleanup! Ripe, in-season peaches are really easy to peel, even without the trick of blanching them first to loosen the peels. If you’re wondering if your peach is ripe enough, make an “X” on the bottom of the peach with a paring knife. Grab the little corners of skin, and they should peel away easily. If not, make an “X” in the bottom of the peach and then blanch it in boiling water for 30-60 seconds. The peel will come right off. But keep in mind, it’s delicious, tree-ripened fruit that makes these peach pancakes great!

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a measuring cup, measure the milk, crack in an egg and beat until well-combined. Beat in the vanilla. Add this wet mixture to the batter, and fold gently just until combined. Fold in the crushed peaches, followed by the melted butter. Don’t overmix––a few lumps are okay!

Let the batter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. The batter should thicken slightly as the dry ingredients completely absorb the liquid. Fold in more flour if the batter is too thin (super juicy peaches can thin the batter resulting in less fluffy pancakes). This is where you need to have a bit of judgment according to your peaches.

Heat your cast iron skillet over medium heat. Make sure you preheat the cast iron pan thoroughly before dropping in any butter or pancake batter. You can adjust the heat as needed until the butter sizzles when you add it to the pan and it spreads around but doesn’t immediately brown (that’s a sign it’s too hot!). Good butter placement is key to the signature look of a good pancake.

Brush the pan with a small pat of butter or spread it around with a butter knife and pour ½ cup of batter for each pancake onto your pan or griddle. Cook until bubbles form on the top of the pancake and the bottom of the pancake is golden brown.

Flip the pancake once, and cook until the pancake springs back when pressed in the center (about 90 seconds). Transfer to a serving plate and repeat with the rest of the batter.
While your pancakes are cooking, stir together the heavy cream and the maple syrup to make the maple cream syrup. A bonus step is to warm up the syrup in a small pot before adding the cream!

Serve the pancakes warm, with fresh peaches and your maple cream syrup.

Whether you go with one of Melissa's awesome pancake recipes, this one, or even if you invent your own perfect combination, perhaps this will become a weekend routine for you as well! It’s a tasty way to relax and enjoy some downtime after a busy week.