These pancakes have a fuller flavor and richer texture than their traditional counterparts. The oatmeal thickens the pancakes up, making the meal feel heartier (while retaining the pancake’s fluffiness so it doesn’t weigh you down), and gives it some added sweetness so you don’t need as much syrup.
Utensils needed: stove, small mixing bowl, spoon, spatula, frying pan (you could also use a hot plate instead of a stove, but most residence halls have banned them anyway, so I advise heating ’em the old-fashioned way)
Ingredients (makes 4-5 pancakes):
1/2 cup just-add-water buttermilk pancake mix
1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon of water
1 packet of instant oatmeal in whatever flavor you like
Nonstick cooking spray
1 piece of fruit or 1/2 cup of berries (your choice; optional)
Time commitment: 10 minutes
Steps:
1. Pour the oatmeal, pancake mix and water into a bowl and stir the ingredients together. The batter should be thin enough that you can easily pour it, but not runny or watery looking. Depending on what brand of pancake mix you use, you may need to add an extra tablespoon or two of water so your batter isn’t like a thick, globby paste, or add a tablespoon or two of the pancake mix if it’s too runny. (My measurements are based on recipes prepared using the Archer Farms Complete Pancake Mix.)
2. Very lightly spray the surface of the frying pan, and turn the stove on to medium/low heat.
3. If you’re adding fruit to your pancakes, chop it up into bite-sized pieces.
4. Pour a palm-sized amount of batter onto the frying pan. Now quickly sprinkle in some of your fruit. Once the edges of the pancake have rounded and you see some bubbles forming in the batter, slide your spatula underneath and flip the pancake over.
5. Cook both sides until they’re a light golden brown.
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