Pancakes! Pancakes!

This is one of those things that I dedicated myself to and it paid off.  I have tried approximately 365,912 pancake recipes, and through a lot of trial and error I have finally created a perfect set of my own custom recipes.  I have my mouthwatering, blubber-building, buttery carb-cakes, and my lean, mean, muscle-building protein pancakes, and my tiger-striped pancakes (GO TIGERS!) and my whole wheat cranberry pancakes... (to name a few)  And, of course, the shape and topping possibilities are endless.  Here are some of my pet recipes:

Amanda's Pancakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal (optional)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
Mix well and fry in butter until golden brown


Amanda's Whole Wheat Pancakes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla
6 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups milk
2 eggs


Amanda's Whole Wheat Cranberry Pancakes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla
6 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups milk
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. dried cranberries sprinkled onto each pancake just after you drop it on the griddle.

Amanda's Power Pancakes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1/3 cup applesauce
5 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups soy milk
2 scoops Body Fortress Vanilla protein powder
2 eggs

(For a carb-based menu item, these tote a relatively low calorie count and pack a whopping 6-8 grams of protein per pancake depending on the size.  I usually top mine with fresh fruit and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.)

Amanda's Cornbread Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla (optional with this recipe)
6 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups milk
2 eggs

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Batter:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs

"Fillng":
3/4 cup brown sugar
3-4 tsp. cinnamon
4 Tbsp. melted butter

Glaze:
6 oz. cream cheese - softened
2 Tbsp. butter - softened
1 cup powdered sugar (you can add more or less of this depending on how thick you want your glaze/frosting)
1 tsp. vanilla

Prepare your glaze and set it aside. Mix the filling ingredients and put them into a small zipper bag or a pastry bag.  Make the batter as you normally would and pour it onto your griddle to make your pancakes, then snip the corner off of the filling bag and drizzle the filling in a spiral shape onto the pancakes on the griddle.  Flip as you normally would.  After you pancakes are golden on both sides stack them up and glaze them with the cream cheese glaze.

Tiger-striped Pancakes
Inspired by on of my girls' favorite bedtime stories ("The Boy and the Tigers" by Helen Bannerman) this recipe  also boasts a bit of school-pride for us, as the tiger is our district mascot.  Divide your favorite pancake batter into 2 bowls, and mix 1/2 cup cocoa and 1 Tbsp. milk into one of the bowls.  After pouring the regular batter out on the griddle streak the cocoa batter across the top with a spoon.  Flip as normal.  ENJOY!

(Who says you shouldn't play with your food?!?!?!?!?)