Blueberry-Granola Pancakes with Honey

Over the summer we went to Chicago with some friends. It was a great trip. One of my favorite aspects, was, of course, the food. For brunch one morning we went to Yolk. 

Yolk is this trendy breakfast joint that has outrageous food. 

I had their Banana-Blue Crunch Cakes! This is a picture of my food. Because I am weird and take pics of my food at restaurants sometimes. These little babies comes full of granola and blueberries and are topped with bananas and served with a side of warm honey. YUM!!

So, it's been several months since this trip, and I kind of miss some of the food we ate. So I decided to create my own pancakes inspired by their delicious banana-blue crunch cakes. Here's what happened: 

Gather your ingredients. Pancake Mix: This is our go-to pancake mix, Krusteaz. It always turns out beautiful, delicious, fluffy pancakes. Yolk's cakes are actually multi-grain, but I didn't have that. Your standard pancake mix wil do or you can make your own.  Granola: Again, you can buy it our make your own. You'll never guess where I found this at. TJMaxx. I thought it'd be perfect since it's a blueberry and banana granola in itself. Then you'll need blueberries and bananas. Gotta have fruit. Also, honey for serving. You could just use standard syrup, but why not try honey? It's something out of the ordinary.  And, lastly, water for your mix (duh).

Follow standard directions for pancake mix. For 4-6 standard sized cakes, I used 2 cups of mix and 1 1/2 cups water. I actually ended up adding another 1/2 cup later, because the granola will absorb some of your water and make the batter thick. I then added 1/2-3/4 cup of granola, followed by 1/2-3/4 cup of blueberries. 

Here's my batter. Almost looks like yogurt, doesn't it? You don't want it this thick, though. Add some water to get a looser batter. Like I said, I added about 1/2 a cup. If you like more dense pancakes, then leave it as is. Also, since there is granola, it may take a few minutes longer to cook than regular ones.

After pancakes are done, top with slices of bananas and blueberries. Add a side of honey and serve with bacon (well you don't have to, but who doesn't like bacon?)! 

Here's an idea, make this as breakfast-in-bed for your sweetheart on Valentine's Day. I think you would definitely score major points with that one. Just don't spill the juice on them or anything.

Warm honey in the microwave for a few seconds and drizzle across your cakes like so. Wow, I miss these guys already!

Um, yeah, that's pretty incredible.

Just because these cakes are full of healthy stuff, doesn't mean they won't fill you up. Adding granola to pancakes makes them super filling. They will definitely keep you going throughout your morning!

Look at those blueberries. Wow. I think the people of Yolk would be proud of my efforts, don't you? 

Okay, you know these aren't that difficult to make. Go get the ingredients and make these for someone special (i.e. yourself). :)

Blueberry-Granola Pancakes w/ Honey (Inspired by Yolk's Banana-Blue Crunch Cakes)

Ingredients:

-2 cups of pancake mix

-2 cups of water

-1/2-3/4 cup granola 

-1/2-3/4 cup blueberries

-2 bananas

-Honey (for drizzling on top)

Directions:

Combine pancake mix and water, whisk until JUST COMBINED. Don't over mix, or you're batter won't be fluffy.

Fold in granola and blueberries. If mixture becomes very thick, add additional water a few tablespoons at a time.

Turn griddle to 350 degrees or turn stove to medium-high heat. Allow griddle/non-stick pan to heat up. Ladle desired amount of pancake mixture onto surface. Remember, the bigger the pancake size the longer they will take to cook. Once you start to see bubbles on the surface of the cake, and the cake bottom starts to pull away from the surface of the pan, it's ready to flip. 

Top with slices of banana and left over blueberries. Serve with warm honey. 

Yields: 4-6 medium-large pancakes.


On Wednesday I will be sharing a recipe in which popcorn is drizzled with truffle oil. It is also inspired by another Chicago experience!