Cranberry Muffin Tin Pancakes

Say goodbye to standing over a griddle, watching and waiting for bubbles to form on your pancakes before flipping and watching and waiting some more. Cranberry Muffin Tin Pancakes are super easy to make, are completely customizable, and more importantly, are super fluffy and very flavourful!

Very rarely do we make pancakes in our home. It’s mostly due to the fact that I’m the one who does 99% of the cooking, and I don’t care much for the idea of having to watch something cook. In addition to that, cooking in batches is not something I care much for either. That’s why these Cranberry Muffin Tin Pancakes are not only delicious, but they’re very easy to make!

When John.e was growing up, his mom made pancakes often and he asks for them quite regularly. In fact, they were a Christmas morning tradition in his family home. So, I’m doing him a solid and whipping up a batch of pancakes the easy way. Baking them instead of frying them is the easiest way to go, especially on Christmas morning when it’s so busy in most homes.

When baking pancakes, not only can you do a huge batch at once, but you can also customize them. You can add toppings to each individual pancake if you wish, or you can make them all plain and set out a pancake topping station complete with fresh berries, whipped cream, chocolate chips, caramel sauce, etc. There’s no need for flipping the pancakes halfway through either, which completely eliminates the need for watching and waiting!

CRANBERRIES AND ORANGES ARE A PERFECT PAIRING

I’m not sure what it is, but the tartness of fresh cranberries always pairs so well with the sweet tanginess of fresh citrus. In the case of these Cranberry Muffin Tin Pancakes, I choose to use fresh orange zest you can also use lemon zest here too!

There’s a tremendous lack of things like fresh cranberries for many months of the year. Don’t even get me started on holiday confections like Hershey’s chocolate or candy canes! Luckily, here in Canada, we celebrate Thanksgiving in October, so I was able to get my hands on fresh cranberries!

I’m much prefer to use fresh cranberries, but you can use frozen too. If you use frozen, thaw them out first in a single layer and pat them dry with paper towels to absorb the excess moisture. They must be fully thawed!

A WORD ABOUT PANCAKES

As previously mentioned, I don’t make pancakes very often. In fact, in the ten-plus years that John.e and I have been living together, I would venture to guess that he has prepared them more times than I have. I remember this one time when he made pancakes in the shapes of hearts and teddy bears. I can’t remember if it was for my birthday or if it was on Valentine’s Day. Either way, they were super cute and very delicious. He made them with a whole wheat batter.

Speaking of batter, you might be tempted to take the easy way out and pick up one of those boxes of pre-mixed pancake batter at your local grocery store. I wouldn’t blame you! The flavour and texture of those buttermilk pancakes are hard to beat! In this particular case though, I must encourage you to make the batter yourself. The box stuff does not work very well at all in this recipe.

As much as we all love the convenience, you just won’t get the same result as you will when mixing the batter yourself. It works great on a griddle, but the texture is off-putting in a muffin tin. Save yourself some time by combining the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately. Cover them well and pop the wet ingredient mixture into your fridge and leave the dry covered on your countertop. Mix them both together the next morning when you’re ready to bake.

HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY MUFFIN TIN PANCAKES

Step 1: Preparation

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat your muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray and set them aside. Do not use paper muffin tin liners! The pancake batter will stick to the liners and are difficult to remove. I know it’s tempting to use the paper liners to make clean up easier, but these pancakes don’t stick or stain, so your muffin tins will be easy to clean anyway. I promise!

Step 2: Preparing the Batter

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until fluffy. Beat in the buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Add the flour, orange zest sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low speed until just incorporated. Do not over-mix the batter. You want to see little lumps. Fold in 1 1/2 cups of cranberries with a rubber spatula.

Step 3: Portioning the Batter and Baking

Portion the batter equally among 24 muffin tin cavities. You can use regular or large muffin tins but do not fill more than ½ full with the batter. Dot the tops of the pancakes with a few of the remaining cranberries. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until you see the outer edges of the pancakes looking slightly browned.

Step 4: Serving

Remove the pancakes from the oven and serve warm with your favourite pancake toppings!

WHAT IS BUTTERMILK?

Buttermilk is the liquid that is left behind after churning butter made from cream. The stuff we buy in the store is not pure buttermilk though. What we buy is cultured buttermilk which has had a bacteria added to it and allowed to ferment.

You’ll note that buttermilk has a slight sour taste and smell – much like sour cream! But, don’t worry; it’s not spoiled and you can consume it safely without getting sick.

Did you know that you can make your own buttermilk at home? Yes! If you don’t have any on hand, you can make your own. Just stir one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar into a cup of whole milk. It will not be as thick as store-bought, cultured buttermilk, but it will do the trick!

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