I was planning on making blueberry pancakes as part of breakfast for dinner tonight. I have some frozen blueberries and also dome fresh ones, but the fresh are not very sweet. Which do you think would be better to use? I would normally use the fresh, but they are usually a little sweeter and I don't wan't to have tart pancakes. Also, if I use the frozen ones, should I thaw them so they can drain? I would be concerned that the juices would be overwhelming and I do not want soggy pancakes. Thanks!
We use frozen all the time. No defrosting. No draining. No problem.
Don't add them to the batter. After putting the pancake batter on the griddle, sprinkle the blueberries over the batter.
We used to buy blueberries in bulk, frsh from the grower in SW MI. We always froze them to make them last. My mom ALWAYS made blueberry pancakes...delicious ones!
Mix up the batter, pour in pan, immediately drop in frozen blueberries. Delicious! Easy too! Perfect! Not soggy at all.
If you thaw them first, they will get watery/juicy/mushy and turn your batter purple/blue. Yucko.
Well, now thanks to your question and the wonderful answers you've gotten, I'm going to HAVE to make pancakes for dinner!! Wish I read your post BEFORE I went to the store so I could pick up some berries! :) Hmmm sounds yummy!
~L.
I would use the frozen and defrost and drain them first.
Blueberry pancakes sound sooooo good!
If you want to use the fresh just add a TBS or two of sugar to the batter. It'll turn out fine. The frozen ones work great too. You'll want to separate the berries from each other but it works better if they are still a little frozen when you cook them, they stay Intact a little more and dye everything blue. Also, often (just for future reference) I'll make pancake cake. Just mix your batter (I use buttermilk mix because it only requires water and I have a kid allergic to eggs) spray a baking dish with non stick spray, add fruit at the last second (I'll leave some out and sprinkle top of the batter before it bakes) bake at 350-375 till done. Clean up is easy, everything gets done at the same time, taste the same, good luck!
Defrost them first, so the pancakes will cook evenly (no raw bits around the frozen blueberries) and throw the juices in. The juice will not make the pancake soggy, it will only (marginally) thin the pancake batter to make slightly thinner pancakes. If this concerns you, add an extra tablespoon of flour to your batter and you'll never know the difference. We make pancakes every weekend and often experiment with the batter - adding pumpkin, flaxseed, oats, etc. Enjoy!
PS- an alternative, if you are concerned about the batter, is to keep your recipe the same, and use your blueberries to make blueberry syrup. One tablespoon of cornstarch in a sauce pan, medium heat, 3/4 c water, 1 tablespoon of sugar. Stir, stir, stir...and the liquid will begin to thicken. Stir like crazy for about 30 seconds, then dump in your blueberries (at least a cup or cup and a half). Stir on med/low heat for about 5 min. Remove from heat and pour into a small pitcher. Yum!
I've always just threw the frozen ones in the batter. They turn out good. Not messy at all.
I would use 1/2 the fresh ones in the batter and then cook/reduce down the frozen ones with the other 1/2 fresh ones + a lil' sugar for a sauce to go over the top! Yum!
~We just had french toast w/strawberry sauce for dinner last night and I finally found a trick to making THE best strawberry sauce! 1 bag Frozen strawberries + 2 Tbls Apricot Jam + a sprinkle of sugar...oh my goodness, it was just like my favorite breakfast joint!!
