Lemon Poppyseed Yogurt Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

Holidays and vacations call for special breakfasts, don't you think? You can sleep in, get up and make pancakes in your pajamas, lounge around till who knows when... it's perfect. I meant to do this more than twice over spring break, but the best laid plans...! I'm not usually a pancake lover, I prefer waffles. This may have something to do with a family tradition of having a belgian waffle breakfast, where Mom would make homemade berry syrup and we'd drown them in berries and whipped cream... horribly unhealthy, but oh so scrumptious! It was one of the few times we were allowed to be so decadent, and we savored every bite. Since these were a bit labor intensive, only cooking one at a time, you had to be patient, and stick around. Waffles mean holidays to me, because we would all be together in the kitchen, nowhere better to go, be, or rush off to. Just being together, as a family. Somehow in those memories, it's always sunny too.

Turns out I married a pancake lover, who isn't so fond of waffles, so I've had to adapt. Those Buttermilk Whole Wheat Pancakes converted me, and are still my favorite EVER, but I'm all for trying new things!

Lemon Poppyseed Yogurt Pancakes (adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod)
Printable Recipe

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 Tb sugar
zest from 2 lemons
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup milk
juice from 1 lemon
2 eggs
1 Tb vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tb poppy seeds

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar until well combined, then whisk the lemon sugar into the dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, lemon juice, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing until just combined. Stir in the poppy seeds.

Heat a griddle pan or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray or grease with a bit of butter. Pour about 1/4 of a cup of pancake batter per pancake onto the griddle/pan, leaving a few inches between each (they spread a lot!) When the pancakes start to bubble around the edges, flip and cook until  slightly golden brown. (they cook fast!) Serve warm with butter, syrup, fresh fruit, or jam, whatever you like!

Blueberry Syrup

Printable Recipe

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar

juice from half a lemon
1 1/2 Tb cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, water, sugar, zest, and lemon juice. Stir frequently, crushing about half of the berries, and bring to a simmer for a few minutes, until it just starts to thicken.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water. Slowly drizzle the corn starch into the blueberries, stirring constantly. Simmer until the homemade blueberry sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and gently stir in the vanilla.

I really like this white whole wheat flour, it has more flavor than all-purpose, but isn't as heavy as normal whole wheat flour. These bright, lemony pancakes are so scrumptious!! They're fluffy and toothsome, and they don't turn to mush under the butter and syrup, which I love. 

And lemons and blueberries are a classic team, right?? This blueberry syrup is smooth and sweet, with plenty of blueberry flavor. A match made in heaven!

Quite the perfect spring breakfast, I think!! The Geologist didn't like these quite as much as the boys and I did. Always feel the need to give you the family's honest review! But the boys specifically said they were awesome, and asked for leftovers! Greek yogurt, white whole wheat flour, blueberries... they count as healthy, right??

Shared at Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits