Butterfly BLUEberry Pancakes
February 21, 2020 by Nicole Collins
Something borrowed. Something blue.
Anyone getting married this weekend?
First of all if you are, CONGRATS! And second of all, I’ve got your something blue right here for brekkie!
Today is BLUE day in our Taste the Rainbow Challenge! And, I must be honest with you. The options that we had for naturally blue food coloring today were not exactly droolworthy. Our top two choices were spirulina which is described to taste like seaweed and butterfly pea flower which is described to taste like wet logs.
Appetizing…
I knew that I wanted to do some kind of pancake or waffle for BLUE day, so I figured I could work a little better with wet logs than seaweed. But, stay with me. Because, I think I cracked the code! Today’s recipe is actually pretty delicious (or I wouldn’t be sharing it with you)!
Today, we’re making Butterfly BLUEberry Pancakes!
Let’s talk about butterfly pea flower for a minute. I’m sure you’ve seen pics of those Instagram worthy drinks that are two toned…blue on the bottom and purple on the top. Well, those drinks are made with butterfly pea flower tea. This tea has a naturally blue hue that turns purple with the addition of citrus. The flower is known as an Asian medicinal herb that’s supposed to support brain health, help with stress and anxiety, and be rich in antioxidants. We’re using butterfly pea flower powder today which is the ground version of the dried flower.
The taste is VERY woodsy and earthy. I’ve read it’s flavor described as similar to unsweetened green tea, but I think it’s even more potent than that. As a tea, I’m not sold yet. But, I haven’t tried it with the addition of citrus yet. As a natural food coloring, I think we can definitely make it work as long as we bring some ingredients to help balance out that funky flavor.
And, that brings us to today’s pancakes!
We’re going to start with store bought all purpose baking mix. Then, we’re going to jazz it up with just a little bit of pea flower powder, some extra sugar, and vanilla bean paste. I’m currently obsessed with vanilla bean paste, because I love that you can get the sweetness of vanilla extract combined with the pretty little flecks of vanilla bean for a fraction of the cost of a whole vanilla bean. I recommend heading to Amazon and ordering a tube, but you could absolutely swap out vanilla extract in equal amounts.
After our batter is mixed, we’re going to cook them over a warm griddle in some melted butter. We all know butter makes everything better, after all! But while we’re waiting for side one to cook, we’re going to nestle some fresh blueberries into our pancakes to make them even more delicious! Flip, finish cooking, and devour!
To serve, feel free to give them an extra pat of butter, a drizzle of maple syrup, a dollop of fresh whipped cream, or D. all of the above. The sweet vanilla bean, sweet fresh blueberries, and touch of extra sugar really helps to tame the murky natural essence of the butterfly pea flower and transform it into a delicious and BEAUTIFUL breakfast!
Ok, everyone. We’ve got one more color left to tackle tomorrow. And, we’re going to send off this challenge with some dessert!
See you then, and let’s eat!
Butterfly BLUEberry Pancakes
Serves: 7-8 pancakes Print
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose baking mix (like Bisquick)
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
2 eggs
1 tsp butterfly pea flower powder
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
3 tbsp sugar
1 cup blueberries
1 tbsp unsalted butter
whipped cream, butter, and maple syrup, for serving
Directions:
To a mixing bowl, add baking mix, milk, eggs, pea flower powder, vanilla paste, and sugar. Whisk until just combined, being careful not to over mix the batter. Set aside.
Heat a griddle or a large non stick skillet over medium heat. Add enough butter to just coat the surface of the pan. When the butter is sizzling, add 1/3 cup batter to the griddle and gently spread out to form a circle. Place a few blueberries on top of the batter, and gently press them into the pancakes. Cook for 2-3 minutes until bubbles start to appear and the outer edges of the pancake looks like it's starting to set. Gently flip, and cook another 1-2 minutes until the bottoms start to turn golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter, adding butter to the griddle or skillet, as needed. Serve with butter, maple syrup, or whipped cream, if desired.
Recipe notes:
*Butterfly pea flowers are known for their natural beautiful blue hue. When citrus is added to pea flower steeped liquid, it turns purple! Butterfly pea flower powder is the ground version of these dried flowers. On it's own, the taste is VERY earthy, and even woodsy. This natural food coloring needs some sweetness to help balance out the strong musty flavor. You can buy the dried flowers or the ground powder (like we use in today's recipe) on Amazon.
*Feel free to substitute vanilla extract for the vanilla bean paste. I like the flecks of vanilla bean the paste adds to the pancakes.
*These pancakes are big a fluffy. If you want more, smaller pancakes, use ¼ cup batter per pancake.
