It's National Pancake Day! We could always use a little comfort food, and nothing says It's going to be alright more than a big stack of warm, fluffy pancakes.
So call in sick, stay in your pj's, turn the TV to cartoons and cozy up to these indie-fied flapjcks:
Feeling sapped?
Maple Flakes – A total reinvention of syrup, these crispy, crunchy maple flakes – yes, FLAKES – belong on your pancakes. The process for making these is top secret, but the mystery makes them taste even better. Especially when the only ingredient is pure maple syrup, so you can feel good about using a lower calorie sweetener that is also chock-full of antioxidants and minerals.
Bourbon Maple Syrup – This grown-up syrup is so good you could drink it straight (and you might be tempted to). But it also deserves an extra-special breakfast. Make your standard pancakes spectacularly light and fluffy by separating the egg whites and yolks, beating the whites until they form stiff peaks, then folding them into the finished batter (mix in the yolks as usual).
Maple Sugar – Real maple syrup makes breakfast evangelicals out of us all, but who knew we could also get our fix in sugar form? At Madeva Farms in the Hudson River Valley, the Turner family harvests the sap from 800 acres of century-old sugar and red maples. Much of this sap is made into syrup, but some is reduced, and reduced, and reduced until it becomes maple sugar. Sweet!
Staying in those jams a little longer?
Apple Caramel Preserves – Is it a spread? A caramel sauce? A jam? Yes! Thin slices of apples are suspended in this unusual jar of swoon-worthy caramel apple preserves. Sharpen your sweet tooth, this is one sugary topping! But the lemon juice balances it out nicely.
Raspberry Vanilla Jam – A spoonful of this addictive jam will leave you wondering how SQIRL was able to pack an entire freshly baked raspberry shortcake into a small (and beautifully designed) jar. It’s particularly awesome atop buckwheat flapjacks.
Drunken Monkey Jam – Bananas and rum? There’s something to get out of bed for. This slightly chunky jam made with sugar-coated bananas, a splash of rum and a dash of lime is intensely delicious – bananas at their best.
Going crazy (for chocolate) ?
Smoked Chocolate Chips – Yes, you read that right. Smoked. Chocolate. Chips. These organic semi-sweet chocolate chips are cold-smoked over alder wood for more than 5 hours, moved every 30 minutes to ensure an even smoke.
Chocolate Blueberry Spread – Chocolate and blueberries? Why didn't we think of that? Based out of Oak Park, Illinois, Rare Bird Preserves' small kitchen makes unique and fresh spreads in small batches using their own naturally extracted pectin.
Tequila and Bourbon Spiked Chocolate Sauce – "One Night Stand" or "Break Up" Potions (decide in the morning!).