Welcome to the first Kids Edition post on The Hungry Bookworm! Today we will be talking about a charming little monkey and his culinary adventures in Curious George Makes Pancakes.
George is a good little monkey. He is also very curious. This curiosity makes for a lot of antics that we love reading about with my son Henry.
My favorite of these stories is the one where he makes pancakes. First, he and the man with the yellow hat go to an annual pancake breakfast. They go every year to raise money for the local children’s hospital.
As George is waiting in line for pancakes, he decides he wants to help.
George’s pancakes are a big hit — everyone loves them! Of course, a Curious George book would not be complete without a little "trouble" and so there’s some of that as well. But, in the end, as always, George saves the day.
We most often read about George in the morning, after Henry’s first bottle, and it got me thinking that it might be nice to try some pancakes of our own! We actually had them for dinner one evening, but I made sure to include blueberries just like George.
This recipe is for very fluffy pancakes, and it is easy enough that an older kid could probably make this on their own, or a younger kid could help with parts of it — like washing the berries or mixing the ingredients. (Fun fact: Pancakes is one of the first meals I remember making by myself — it’s even captured in a photo.)
First, I made buttermilk by mixing regular milk and a little bit of vinegar. Then, I whisked the dry ingredients. And, then I added the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, whisking until everything was combined.
I also made sure my berries were ready to go! We used a mix of blueberries and strawberries because strawberries are Henry’s favorite.
Then I poured the batter onto a hot griddle (this is definitely where a kid could use an adult’s help). It’s okay if they aren’t as perfectly shaped as George’s — they will still taste delicious!
Once the batter is on the griddle, add your berries. I tried making a smiley face like George did.
After the pancakes start to bubble on top and the edges get firm, flip them over to cook on the other side.
The pancakes should be a nice golden brown on both sides, and then you know they are done.
I even made some little ones for Henry to try. (He really liked them!)
Blueberry Pancakes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1+ cup fresh blueberries
- more butter for the pan
Instructions
- Mix the milk and vinegar and let it sit for a minute or two to make buttermilk.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together. Whisk the egg, milk, and melted butter into the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Melt a little smear of butter in the pan (essential for giving a yummy golden brown crust).
- Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the hot skillet and spread it flat-like (it will be pretty thick). Arrange a few blueberries on top. Cook until you see little bubbles on top and the edges starting to firm up. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the pancakes are sky-high fluffy and cooked through.
- Serve with butter and maple syrup, or as desired.
Notes
Look out for new Kids Edition posts every month, on the fourth or last Saturday of each month. If you have a favorite kids' book you'd like to see me make a recipe for, please let me know in the comments below or email me!
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So so cute!!! And the pancakes look delish!
Yum,
I think, I will make make pancakes this morning for the children. Brianna (4 years old) loves to cook! I have blueberries and apples so I will try some of each. Thank you, for sharing.
Aww. This is adorable! I look forward to more from this series of posts. Particularly as I'm expecting my own little one in the near future, this will give me some ideas on both books and delicious cooking opportunities we can share! I aspire to be a mom who cooks with their kids some day. <3
I've never seen such fluffy pancakes! I've never added vinegar to my recipes, so perhaps that's the secret ingredient? Love it. I'll definitely check this recipe out soon. I don't own a griddle and have always done pancakes in my frying pan. Do you think that would still work?
I think the buttermilk might be a factor in the fluffiness, but I'm not really an expert. These can definitely be made in a fry pan! I always used to to do that too, but when we moved into this house, the stove came with a griddle pan and because there's more room, we've been using it. It's just a longer, flatter pan honestly, so should produce the same result 🙂 Excited to hear how it goes for you.
I also aspire to be a mom who cooks with their kids... I hope Henry (and any future children) aspire to be kids who like making messes in the kitchen with me!
I typically use buttermilk, but it's always "homemade" buttermilk (you know, scant tsp of lemon juice). Perhaps it really matters? I'll try it.
Oh, I'm sure they will be. I was big on helping my Mom bake as the rule in the house was, "She who helps get to lick." So, if you didn't help make the cookies you didn't get to lick the beaters! You can be certain we helped on baking days. XD
That's what the vinegar was for as the buttermilk in this recipe is "homemade" too. You can use vinegar the same way you'd use lemon juice, whichever you have on hand. I usually use lemon juice b/c for some reason it grosses me out less to add that to milk, but since the recipe called for vinegar specifically I did use that this time.
I'll have to remember that rule! Sounds like a great way to keep them excited about helping 🙂
You can tell I clearly read your instructions VERY closely. *cue eye roll*
I agree with you that lemon juice, for some reason, sounds less gross than adding vinegar to milk. I mean. I don't know why. The effect should be the same? Perhaps the vinegar is more effective? I will experiment the next time I make pancakes. Half with lemon-juice-buttermilk and half with vinegar-buttermilk. We'll see which turns out fluffer!