Adapted from Mark Bittman, The New York Times, who calls the pancakes “exotic”. You need cooked oatmeal from steel-cut oats. These delicious treats are so good that you will find yourself making oatmeal just to make the pancakes. It’s hard to believe something made with such healthy ingredients can also be so yummy!
The original recipe claimed to serve 4 to 6. Make that 2 or 3.
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
¼ cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups cooked steel-cut oatmeal
butter, for frying
maple syrup or honey, for serving
(1/4 cup chopped almonds)
(⅓ cup chopped dried apricots)
Combine flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, (almonds if you are using them), and salt in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk; stir in the cooked oatmeal (and apricots of you use them) until just incorporated. Add the oatmeal mixture to the dry ingredients and stir gently; don’t overmix. The consistency should be that of thick pancake batter; add a little more buttermilk or whole-wheat flour as needed.
Put a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. When a few drops of water dance on its surface, add a thin film of butter and let it become hot. Spoon out the batter into pancakes about 3″ across. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully flip the pancakes and cook until they’re browned on the other side, a couple of minutes more. You may have to rotate the cakes to cook them evenly, depending on the heat source and pan.
Serve with maple syrup or honey.