I woke up on Sunday morning excited to make these pancakes. It was one of the only things getting me out of bed.

When I eat pancakes, I like them to be light and fluffy. I’m sure there are proponents for thicker, denser pancakes, but I’m not one of them. I think the perfect pancake should melt in your mouth the way regular cake does.

Which brings me to these honey cornmeal pancakes. O.m.g. I wish I could make them again right now, but unfortunately I’m sitting at a desk far away from my kitchen staring a computer screen.

I used cornmeal and whole wheat flour for the batter. I was a little worried that not using all purpose flour would mess with the texture of the pancake but I was wrong. As long as you use whole milk or buttermilk in the batter, the resulting pancakes will be light, fluffy, and dare I say, cloud-like?

The strangest part of this recipe is creating the honey/butter element. At one point, you melt some butter in a hot skillet and add honey, and swirl it around. Then you let it cool and pour it into the batter. That’s how the pancakes get their honey flavor.

You’re supposed to use the same pan to cook the pancakes, but if I were you, I might use another one. Or, I’d try to rinse and wipe down the pan before you cook with it again. That will prevent things from sticking and burning later.

ANYWAY. The other great thing about this recipe is the blueberry maple syrup that goes along with it. I totally improvised on that but it worked out well. You just simmer whole blueberries, maple syrup, and some hot water in a small saucepan while you’re making the pancakes. The sweetness of the syrup pairs well with the corn cakes and honey.

Here’s a song that I listened to on the way to work this morning. I love the part sampled from “Bonita Applebum” and Wyclef’s part. No one, and I mean NO ONE, can sing like Lauryn Hill.

Honey Cornmeal Pancakes with Blueberry Maple Syrup

Ingredients

for the syrup:
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup warm water
1 tsp lemon juice
lemon zest

for the pancakes:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup salted butter
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
vegetable oil , for frying

Directions

First, make the syrup. Combine the blueberries, maple syrup, warm water, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, stirring the mixture occasionally.

To make the pancakes, whisk the whole wheat flour, cornmeal, and baking soda in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a large skillet and stir in the honey with a heat resistant spatula. Allow the mixture to cook down a little before removing it from the heat and allowing it to cool.

Mix the milk and eggs in another bowl, and then beat in the honey mixture. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix the batter well until smooth.

Heat some vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into the middle of the skillet. Cook until there are bubbles appearing on top of the pancake. Flip and cook for a minute more. Repeat the process until you’ve used up all the batter. Store the cooked pancakes in a loosely-wrapped towel until you’re ready to serve them.

Serve with blueberry maple syrup and more lemon zest. Enjoy!