There’s something about burning calories that makes good food taste great. Runner’s World Magazine recently published an article on pancakes, touting them as one of the most-craved foods following a long run. Pancakes, breakfast burritos, bacon, homefries…it all sounds pretty darn good to me after exerting any sort of energy. But okay, let’s stick with pancakes for now – ladled with caramel and sea salt Bartlett pears, if you please.
In the Runner’s World article, the basic pancake recipe is written by the sweet and talented Pam Anderson of Three Many Cooks (she’s a regular contributor to the magazine). And then there are the dozen or so flavor variations to fit every palate. Well, I decided to add one of my own.
“Are these healthy?” you might ask. Well, the pancakes are made with whole wheat pastry flour. Does that count? And there are pears. Two points for healthy. But then there’s the little matter of the butter and brown sugar used to make the caramel. Sigh, well I didn’t say they were perfect. However, if you just went for a hike, downward-dogged yourself into a sweat in yoga class or ran a 5k, you deserve a little treat.
The recipe:
The pears:
In a saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt, and stir to combine.
Stir in the pears and cook, simmering, until the pears are tender. You may need to turn down the heat slightly to keep the caramel at a gentle simmer.
Keep warm on low heat until ready to serve.
The pancakes:
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the flour, milk, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Mix well.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat or heat a griddle to 375 degrees F. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop the batter onto the griddle. When the pancakes start to bubble on top, flip them over and cook until the batter is cooked all the way through. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve the pancakes, with the pear and caramel sauce spooned over top. Serve with extra maple syrup, if desired.
Other post-exercise breakfast ideas:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Sweet Potato Hash with Canadian Bacon, Red Pepper & Sage
Cookin’ Canuck’s Southwestern Breakfast Quesadilla with Eggs, Black Beans & Salsa
Two Peas and Their Pod’s Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes
Eclectic Recipes’ Sausage & Eggs Benedict with Mock Hollandaise Sauce
How To: Simplify’s Egg, Pepper & Bacon Breakfast Burritos
From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 1/2 cup skim milk (or more if batter is too thick)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup (or honey, agave nectar or brown sugar)
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp (packed) brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 3 Bartlett pears, cored and chopped
- Extra maple syrup, if desired
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the flour, milk, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Mix well.
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat or heat a griddle to 375 degrees F. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop the batter onto the griddle. When the pancakes start to bubble on top, flip them over and cook until the batter is cooked all the way through.
- Repeat with the remaining batter.
- In a saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt, and stir to combine.
- Stir in the pears and cook, simmering, until the pears are tender. You may need to turn down the heat slightly to keep the caramel at a gentle simmer.
- Serve the pancakes, with the pear and caramel sauce spooned over top.
- Serve with extra maple syrup, if desired.
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
Love these! So great for fall
These pancakes are perfect this time of year. Gorgeous!
wow, Dara! This looks fabulous! Perfect for this cool fall morning we are having in Savannah, Georgia!
Dara, these look FAB!! So warm and cinnamoney and Fall-ey. I’d love to have a huge stack of these right now!!
I will take a big stack!
The pears have been so fantastic this year, what a great way to use them! I love a hearty breakfast after a good workout so I totally relate! Hope your marathon was great and I can’t wait to hear about it!
Fancy pancakes! Sometimes an indulgence is in order, right? These look so, so fabulous.
When I was training for the NYC marathon last year, pumpkin-pecan pancakes was my favourite thing to eat after a long run. I’ll have to give these a try!
these look incredible Dara! I could grab one right off the screen!
Looks amazing!! I love a great stack of pancakes no matter what the event or time of day… xo
These look amazing! So proud of you after your marathon yesterday! You definitely deserve a big stack of these.
pear pancakes- yum! Look delicious!
Love these!
Gorgeous! I am a big fan of pears.
These are definitely a great treat for running a race. I love the combination of flavors! Congrats on the race this weekend, Dara, I can’t wait to hear more about it!
I love this! I have always loved pears but don’t know that I’ve ever tried them as a pancake topping. Recently my 6 year old has announced that he “no longer likes syrup” (weird, right?) and I’ve been trying to come up with something to keep him from drenching his pancakes in butter. I can’t wait to give this a try!
What if I haven’t done any exercise?
I’m a pancake fanatic, and these sound fabulous!
great idea and flavor combo
definitely looks like a great post-run chow down dish. Congrats on completing another marathon as well. What an accomplishment.
These looks AWESOME. But did you mean to call the recipe “Ice Cream? Pears? Burger?” in ZipList?
I want to dig in to that stack! Gorgeous, caramel and pears goes so well together!
Those look so soft and wonderful. Hello fall!
I definitely crave a plate of stacked caramel-topped pancakes with fresh pair after a run or bike ride! Looks fantastic, can’t wait to try!
These look so delicious and perfect for a fall morning. Crave worthy! Now I need to get moving to justify eating a plateful.
Whoa – when can I come over for breakfast?!
I was just reading that pears are the overlooked fruit of the season!! Gorgeous recipe.. I love sea salt on sweet foods.
Do I have to run a marathon before I indulge? I’d be happy to prep the garden for winter or walk the dog or make a pizza or do some Pilates instead.
Thanks for the recipe-they look lovely and so does your website!
I think if anyone deserves these pancakes, you do!! They look amazing!!
What a delicious looking recipe. As always I know that it tastes as amazing as it looks. Come and visit Dara, we have a terrific giveaway this week.
These look delicious! Just stumbled onto your blog. I think I will be looking around some more… Everything looks so yummy!
Love the fall flavors of these pancakes. And, yes… I would consider this a healthy breakfast!
I’m loving these pancakes! Hope you had an extra helping after your marathon!
Dara these are just gorgeous! Repinned! Great to eat anytime, especially after a run
Mmm…you gotta love the runner’s appetite.
LOVE, LOVE THESE PEAR PANCAKES!!! A GREAT BRUNCH yesterday with sausage & COFFEE:) Thanks so much.hugs Carolyn a Candian!
Hi,
I’ll be featuring your amazing looking pizza on the 18th of November and I hope that is ok? I’m a new happy follower of your lovely blog and would be happy if you would like to do the same for me.
http://www.meandmysweets.blogspot.com
Cheers!
Johanna
But the pancakes themselves are really healthy. That’s definitely a bonus! They sound delicious. I bet these would be great with apples. I can’t get enough of them this year.
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