Blueberry Pancakes with Lemon (GF)

Is it a coincidence that I awoke thinking of pancakes on Mardi Gras? I think not......  Well actually, I was thinking more of muffins (these muffins to be exact), but pancakes provide a little more instant gratification (and I don’t have to wash the muffin pan).

Last week I discovered a great new pancake recipe when husband requested pancakes one morning for breakfast, but today was my first attempt at making them gluten free.  To further mix things up, in addition to substituting my favorite GF flour, I also added some lemon zest & frozen wild blueberries.   Somehow the flavors taste like spring (lemon) and summer (blueberry) and give me hope that this crazy winter won’t last forever.

We don’t do a lot of “fancy” breakfasts around here.  Greek yogurt (for him) and gluten free granola or cereal (for me) with coffee seem to be the norm these days. But every once and a while, one needs a special breakfast during the week. I foresee these pancakes also making it into our “brinner” (breakfast for dinner) rotation that we do from time to time.  Go ahead, indulge a little :) 

p.s. Don’t be alarmed at how liquid the batter is--they’ll turn in to one of the best textured pancakes I've ever made at home. But I do think the smaller pancakes turn out better than the larger ones!  

Blueberry Pancakes with Lemon (GF)
adapted from Martha Stewart
yields 8 medium pancakes

2 Tbl Granulated Sugar
Zest of 1/2 a small lemon (add more zest if you prefer a more noted lemon flavor)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
4.4 oz Gluten Free Flour (I used Jeanne's GF AP Flour Mix, or substitute regular AP flour if not GF)

1 large egg
2 Tbl Vegetable Oil (or could substitute butter that has been melted and cooled)
1 c Milk

Blueberries (I used Frozen Wild Blueberries)
Cooking Spray (or butter or additional vegetable oil) for greasing the skillet.
Butter & Maple Syrup, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 200 F. (I use my toaster oven)  
2. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar with the lemon zest to infuse the lemon flavor into the sugar. Add the powder, salt & GF flour. Whisk to combine. 
3. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the egg with the vegetable oil.  Add the milk & mix.  Add the dry ingredients and whisk until well combined (if using regular flour, be careful to mix only until just combined). 
4. Heat a small skillet over medium to medium high heat.  Grease the skillet well.  Pour between 1/8 c and 1/4 c batter into the skillet.  Immediately drop frozen blueberries over the surface of the pancake.  Cook until the top has lost it's sheen and begins to look dull, and the bottom of the pancake is golden brown. Flip & continue cooking until golden brown on the other side. 
5. Transfer the cooked pancake to the preheated oven & repeat the process with the remaining batter. Grease the pan between pancakes. 
6. Serve the pancakes with butter & maple syrup (or a blueberry syrup would be lovely). Store any leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer.