Oatmeal-Blackberry Pancakes with Orange Zest and Greek Yogurt

Anyone who assumes the role of “head chef” in their home kitchen knows how difficult it can be to please the whole table. And my table, always includes a temperamental toddler who’s prone to wild deviations in taste. One day a food is in, the next it’s out. But when all else fails and everything in the fridge seems like it’ll likely incite a tear-soaked tantrum, I typically rely on breakfast foods to avoid the storm. I mean honestly, has anyone ever turned down pancakes? Waffles? A yogurt parfait.

While I oftentimes find restaurant pancakes a little unsatisfying – as in I’m stuffed immediately post-short-stack but then starving an hour later – I crammed these full of oatmeal, berries, and trusty old Chobani Greek yogurt to pump up the protein and fiber. Other than spinach, plain Greek yogurt happens to be one of my favorite ways to add nutritional value and you’d be surprised by some of the recipes you can add it into.

We’ve been making a lot of bold calls here on Feast, but I will tell you that these are the best pancakes I’ve ever tasted. The batter is much thicker than the usual drippy stuff, so henceforth you end up with a thicker pancake, but the berries and yogurt keep everything doughy and moist (your favorite word, I know). They’re not cloyingly dense or heavy, they somehow manage to retain a degree of fluffiness despite how wholesome they are. Anyway, I highly suggest giving them a whirl one weekend morning…or on a cold and dreary night when the thought of making dinner makes you want to cry literal tears of sadness. And fear.

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Oatmeal-Blackberry Pancakes with Grated Orange Zest and Greek Yogurt
Makes about 16 3-inch pancakes

Ingredients:
¾-cup old fashioned oats – $3.79
½-cup + ~¼-cup milk – stock
¾-cup whole wheat flour – stock
1½ teaspoons baking powder – stock
¾ teaspoon baking soda – stock
½-teaspoon salt – stock
1 cup Greek yogurt – $1.69
1 egg, lightly beaten – stock
½-teaspoon vanilla extract – stock
1 Tablespoon packed brown sugar – stock
1 generous teaspoon of orange zest – $0.66
1 cup of frozen blackberries (they hold their shape better than fresh) – $3.99
Butter for greasing the skillet – stock
Grand total assuming well-stocked kitchen: $10.43
Cost per pancake: $0.65

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, soak the oats in ½-cup of milk for 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. Add the lightly-beaten egg, brown sugar, vanilla extract, yogurt, remaining ¼-cup of milk, zest, berries, and soaked oats to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.

4. Heat a large skillet or non-stick griddle over a med-high flame and brush with butter. Once piping hot, reduce the flame to medium and parcel out batter by the tablespoon-full (aim for a diameter of about 2½-3 inches) Cook each pancake for about 2 minutes or it’s golden, then flip and cook the other side. To make sure the outside doesn’t burn, you may need to turn heat down to medium-low. Repeat until all batter is cooked.