Going Peach Crazy
When peach season strikes, Judy and I go a little crazy. Why buy a tiny basket of peaches when you could buy a whole BOX and treat yourself to peach pie, frozen peach mango margaritas, or a delicious stone fruit cake? For the girls (i.e., Sarah and Kaitlin), peach pie is king, but I’m all about cooking a stack of hotcakes for breakfast. Admittedly, peaches might not come to mind first in the lineup of fruit add-ins for pancakes. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had our fair share of mouth-watering blueberry pancakes and, in the fall, warm cinnamon Apple Cider Pancakes. But when you’ve got rows and rows of ripe peaches in a big box you impulse-bought at the local farm stand, the mental gears start turning!
Peaches n’ Cream in a Pancake Breakfast
And so, we have Peach Pancakes with Maple Cream Syrup! It’s a perfect “peaches and cream” flavor combination—and with a fresh cup of strong black coffee—well, enough said.
Did I also mention they are easy to make? You’ll NEVER go back to boxed pancake mixes after you learn how to make great pancakes from scratch. Pancakes from scratch are delicious to boot, and don’t have any of those crazy additives, stabilizers, or flavor enhancers you get in boxed mixes or those crazy jugs you pour directly into the pan. Try this peach pancake recipe, and you’ll be hooked!
Peach Pancakes Recipe Instructions
First, prepare the crushed peaches. I take fresh, ripe peaches, peel them, and gently crush them with a fork to release juices and flavor with minimal equipment and cleanup! Ripe, in-season peaches are really easy to peel, even without the trick of blanching them first to loosen the peels. If you’re wondering if your peach is ripe enough, make an “X” in the bottom of the peach with a paring knife.
Grab the little corners of skin, and they should peel away easily.
Allowing you to cut wedges:
If not, make an “X” in the bottom of the peach and then blanch it in boiling water for 30-60 seconds. The peel will come right off. But keep in mind, it’s delicious, tree-ripened fruit that makes these peach pancakes great!
Once your peaches are crushed, set them aside. Also set aside some wedges for serving later.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
In a measuring cup, measure out the milk, and then crack in an egg and beat until well-combined. Beat in the vanilla.
Add this wet mixture to the batter, and fold gently just until combined. Fold in the crushed peaches…
Followed by the melted butter.
Don’t overmix––a few lumps are okay!
Let the batter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. The batter should thicken slightly as the dry ingredients completely absorb the liquids. Fold in more flour if the batter is too thin from super juicy peaches since thin batter will result in less fluffy pancakes. This is where you need to have a bit of judgement according to your peaches. The batter pictured above is thin so we did have to add extra flour. Heat your cast iron skillet over medium heat. Make sure you preheat the cast iron pan thoroughly before dropping in any butter/pancake batter. You can adjust the heat as needed until the butter sizzles when you add it to the pan and spread it around, but doesn’t immediately brown (that’s a sign it’s too hot!). Good butter placement is key to the signature look of a good pancake. Brush the pan with a small pat of butter or spread it around with a butter knife, and pour ½ cup of batter for each pancake onto your pan or griddle.Cook until bubbles form on the top of the pancake, and the bottom of the pancake is golden brown. Flip the pancake once, and cook until the pancake springs back when pressed in the center (about 90 seconds). Transfer to a serving plate and repeat with the rest of the batter. While your pancakes are cooking, stir together the heavy cream and the maple syrup to make the maple cream syrup. Bonus step is to warm up the syrup in a small pot before adding the cream! Serve the peach pancakes warm, topped with fresh peaches, your maple cream syrup, and maybe a little whipped cream if you need a little pick-me-up!
