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 ¼ 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
Caramel & Sea Salt Pear Pancakes
Ingredients
The Pancakes:
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 ½ cup skim milk or more if batter is too thick
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey, agave nectar or brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon salt
The Pears:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 Bartlett pears cored and chopped
- extra maple syrup if desired
Instructions
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 ¼ 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.
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.
- Serve the pancakes, with the pear and caramel sauce spooned over top.
- Serve with extra maple syrup, if desired.
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
I want to dig in to that stack! Gorgeous, caramel and pears goes so well together!
Julie @Savvy Eats
These looks AWESOME. But did you mean to call the recipe "Ice Cream? Pears? Burger?" in ZipList? 😉
addie | culicurious
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.
Annalise
What if I haven't done any exercise? 🙂 I'm a pancake fanatic, and these sound fabulous!
Wendy
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!
Cassie
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!
KalynsKitchen
Gorgeous! I am a big fan of pears.
bellini
Love these!
Elizabeth@ Food Ramblings
pear pancakes- yum! Look delicious!
Krista
These look amazing! So proud of you after your marathon yesterday! You definitely deserve a big stack of these.
marla
Looks amazing!! I love a great stack of pancakes no matter what the event or time of day... xo
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.
these look incredible Dara! I could grab one right off the screen!
Dara @how_to_eat
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!
Kare @ Kitchen Treaty
Fancy pancakes! Sometimes an indulgence is in order, right? These look so, so fabulous.
kelley
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!
Maria
I will take a big stack!
Cookbook Queen
Dara, these look FAB!! So warm and cinnamoney and Fall-ey. I'd love to have a huge stack of these right now!!
Kay @ The Church Cook
wow, Dara! This looks fabulous! Perfect for this cool fall morning we are having in Savannah, Georgia!
Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch
These pancakes are perfect this time of year. Gorgeous!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
Love these! So great for fall 🙂