Cornmeal and Molasses Pancakes

I love breakfast. When I was a kid my favorite meal of the day was breakfast. My family knew that if it was ever my choice what we would have for dinner, it would be breakfast.

It was my mom's doing. She used to make these scrambled eggs with little chopped up peppers and onions inside, then topped with cheese. You'd slice it out of the pan and eat it like a piece of pie, usually with that green Tobasco sauce. You know the one.

But the real selling point was the pancakes. My mother's recipe called for freshly ground whole wheat flour, and somehow that nutty fulness made eating them almost like eating cookies, even though the fulness came from MORE nutrition rather than less.

Also she always gave us real maple to go with. Sigh. I am a maple snob. I feel bad about it. I know it is expensive. But the real and the fake just can't compare. And it helps me to look at it this way - the non-industrializable (at least, not on an Aunt Jemima kinda scale) folk economy that supplies it is made up of the kinda folks you probably wouldn't mind supporting. I like to picture them in their snowboots and hats, tapping their trees in the early spring.

Wow, I really got off on maple syrup there. See my problem with maple snobbery? Anyways.

These are not my mother's pancakes. I am not sure whether I will share them on here because I really do suspect the secret ingredient is Magic Mom Powder, and I'm not sure where to buy that. All I know is the ones I make aren't the same.

But these cornmeal molasses pancakes are not too far off.

It occurs to me that I probably should have spent this time talking about molasses - it's an interesting food! For example, did you know it's the leftovers from sugar processing? It's associated with the South and soul food because for a long time it was the only sweetener poorer folks could afford to buy. And then they did marvellous things with it.

And I love it. Its bitter sweetness is so interesting, its gloopy gloppiness so syrupy good. It's rich - without being horrible for you. In this recipe its bitterness both underlines and counteracts the grainy sweetness of the cornmeal, kind of like corn bread with honeybutter and a cup of coffee. You know how good that tastes? That's what this is like.

p.s. always eat your corn bread warm with butter and maple syrup - I once had a friend from the South tell me that is how they all do it there. She called me later and told me that she was mistaken, that absolutely wasn't true and she never knew anyone who did it that way. By that time of course I'd eaten half a pan that way, and I've never regretted it).

Also - I got a blogger award! Thanks Margie! My friend Margie runs a lovely blog all about her experience as a mother of two children with autism. As you can imagine, her life is fascinating. Please drop her a visit at www.margie.walkertribe.com!

I'm so stylish s's's's'stylish yeah.

Cornmeal and Molasses Pancakes (these come from Joy the Baker, who is one of my absolute favorite food bloggers ever, and I recommend very highly that you visit. If you like me you'll love her, and I won't even be jealous because she deserves it and I love her too)

Cornmeal Molasses Pancakes

1 large egg
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon dark molasses (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

In a small bowl whisk together egg, buttermilk, molasses, vanilla extract and butter. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Add the cornmeal and stir until just mixed. The batter may be a bit lumpy.

Drop 2 Tablespoonsful of batter onto a hot, greased griddle or cast iron skillet.

Flip when browned and cook through. Place on an oven proof plate in a 200 degree F oven to keep pancakes warm while you cook the rest of the batter.

Serve with maple syrup, molasses or blackberry syrup.