PW's Sour Cream Pancakes

I don't think it is any secret that we eat a lot of pancakes at our house. We eat pancakes in one form or another probably almost every single day. We have a tried and true favorite 'regular' pancake recipe that has been our staple for well over a year or so now. We have another amped up, loaded pancake with oats and apples that we make regularly and love too. My only complaint with either recipe is that there is time - a bit too much of it - involved in letting the batter rest before cooking.

Most days this is fine, but takes a bit more thinking and planning on my part. As you can imagine (especially those of you who have been there) pregnancy has once again turned my brain to mostly mush with very little room for remembering tasks these days.

When I was browsing through Ree Drummond's new cookbook, besides the fact that there were many recipes I knew I had to try right away, I was intrigued and surprised most by a recipe she refers to as belonging to her husband's grandmother, Edna Mae. The main ingredient in the pancakes is a fair amount of sour cream. It is then cobbled together with very little flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. A couple of eggs and some vanilla get mixed in, and somehow, as impossible as it seemed to me that this was going to work, it did. Oh did it ever work!

I have now had this recipe in my possession all of about three weeks and I'm pretty sure I've made it no less than 10 times already. I find myself making sure I have enough sour cream on hand that I can make these any time I want. They are light, tender, flavorful and oh so ridiculously easy to make. If it is just me and the boys at home I make just a single batch (recipe shown below) but if my hubs is home I have to double the batch. These pancakes are incredibly edible and you'll find yourself easily eating several in one sitting (even the kids!). I love love love this recipe and am so glad that Ree included it in her cookbook. I've also tried several other recipes from the book already, including the Cinnamon Rolls and Twice-Baked Potatoes and each recipe has been a total winner in our opinion. This is definitely a cookbook that won't see much of your shelf since you'll be using it on a daily basis.

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes

SOURCE: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From An Accidental Country Girl

By Ree Drummond

Makes about twelve 4-inch pancakes

1 cup sour cream

7 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Butter, for your pan or griddle

Butter and Maple or Pancake Syrup for serving

(Directions are ad libbed by me - get the book and read PW's step by step directions and photos for yourself - much more entertaining).

Heat your iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat till nice and hot.

In a medium sized bowl gently stir together the sour cream, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt until just barely combined, not even all the way.

In a small separate bowl whisk together the eggs and vanilla. Add to the flour and sour cream mixture and stir again very gently until just barely (or not even quite all the way) combined.

Melt a generous amount of butter in the skillet or on your griddle and pour the batter a scant 1/4 cup at a time.

Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, then flip and cook another 45 seconds remove to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, melting more butter as needed. Serve hot with butter and syrup.