Classic Comfort, Grown-Up Flavor: Maple Pancakes with Bourbon Maple Syrup
A Stack of Sunday Morning Bliss
Today was Sunday morning pancake day! I whipped these up on a total whim—mostly because I actually had all the ingredients (a rare miracle) and, let’s be honest, who can resist the call of maple, bacon, and bourbon all snuggled up in a fluffy pancake? That’s basically Sunday morning heaven right there!
Flipping Pancakes & Dodging Boxes
Just to add a little extra excitement, I whipped up this breakfast masterpiece smack dab in the middle of moving chaos. That’s right—these pancakes have survived the ultimate stress test! With boxes stacked everywhere and my mixing bowl mysteriously missing in action, I still managed to serve them up in about 30 minutes. If that’s not a victory, I don’t know what is!
A Simple Pancake Pause
This recipe is a twist on one from one of my favorite cookbooks—a book I’ve owned for over a year but have barely had a chance to explore (thanks, busy coffee shop and bakery life!). Today, though, we hit pause on the hustle and took a moment to slow down and savor something special. If you’re curious about the full story, check out our Something Good journal post. I made a few small tweaks to the original recipe, but nothing too wild!
Recipe Reviews and Real Results
One thing that always makes me laugh (and sometimes groan) when reading recipe posts are the reviews. I’ve tried some truly amazing recipes online with not so great reviews. My biggest issue is when you dig into the reviews, you’ll find people swapping out five of the six ingredients and then complaining that the recipe didn’t work. To be fair to the creator, I always make a recipe as written the first time. My only exception with this one? I used unsalted butter. Honestly, I’ve never even had salted butter in my house! I like to control the kind of salt in my food, so that’s my one little tweak.
The Delicious Conclusion
After making these pancakes as directed, I do have one tip: crumble the bacon and sprinkle it on top of the pancake batter once it’s on the griddle. Trying to flip a pancake with a whole strip of bacon inside is a bit of a circus act! Plus, with crumbled bacon, you get a little bit in every bite—and who doesn’t want that?
Pancake Success: Recipe Tips
If you want fluffy drool worthy pancakes at home, a few simple tricks can make all the difference:
1.Wet ingredients first, then dry.Whisk the liquids until bubbly, then add the dry ingredients. This helps blend everything smoothly, prevents over-mixing, and keeps dry ingredients from sticking to the bottom.
2. Let the batter rest while the griddle heats. Resting for at least 5-10 minutes lets the batter thicken and the leaveners activate, making pancakes taller and lighter. It’s ready when the batter jiggles slightly instead of looking watery.
3. Flip pancakes at the right time. Wait until the edges look matte and the top has broken bubbles before flipping. This ensures the pancake is mostly cooked and holds its shape—don’t flip too early!
With these tips, you’ll be on your way to pancake perfection every time. Happy baking!
Bacon Pancakes + Bourbon Maple Syrup
2-3
servings20
minutes15
minutes35
minutesFluffy, golden pancakes stacked high and soaked in rich, homemade bourbon maple syrup—this breakfast is pure comfort with a grown-up twist. Perfect for lazy weekends or special brunches, these pancakes turn an ordinary morning into a decadent celebration.
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Ingredients
- For the Pancakes
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 ounces bacon, cooked and chopped
- For the Bourbon Maple Syrup
1 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 cinnamon stick
Directions
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until it just begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the butter to a small bowl, it will continue browning slightly, set aside to cool but not harden.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the buttermilk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and brown butter. Whisk to combine well. Some lumps in the batter are okay, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile make the syrup in the same saucepan used for melting the butter. Combine the maple syrup, bourbon, and the cinnamon stick. Set over low heat and cook until fragrant and lightly bubbling, 8-10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and discard the cinnamon stick.
- In a large skillet or griddle over medium heat pour about ¼ cup of batter per pancake. Top with crumbled bacon. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface about 2 minutes, then use a spatula to gently flip the pancake. Cook on the second side until golden 1-2 minutes more. Repeat with remaining batter.
- Crumble the reserved bacon strips and sprinkle over the pancake, served topped with butter and bourbon maple syrup.
Notes
- The original recipe calls for adding a full size piece of bacon to the pancakes. I preferred to crumble to bacon over the pancake so you get a little in each bite!
- I cut this recipe in half from the original recipe. It was perfect for two people! It can easily be doubled or even triple if you are cooking for a crowd.
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*Adapted from Half Baked Harvest Cookbook
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