CK'S KITCHEN: Lemon blueberry buttermilk sheet pan pancakes

Life seems to churn at an unrelenting pace, especially in 2024. Between work demands, life with a grandbaby toddling around the house, travel plans, and general adulting, cooking has taken a back burner to a never-ending to-do list. But at least two meals a day loom every 24 hours so I needed to find a solution. Enter meal prep. While this isn't a revolutionary idea, I need this in my life in a very bad way, and I turned to my favorite home chef, Gina Homolka, for help. The first gift from her 2020 "Skinnytaste Meal Prep" cookbook, this recipe is for Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Sheet Pan Pancakes. Perfect trio The baking trifecta that is lemon, blueberries and buttermilk is one of my favorite combos under the sun so I was confident this would be a winning recipe for me and my crew. Another upside was that I had all of those ingredients left over from the lemon blueberry layer cake I had made for my granddaughter's first birthday — it was kismet! I did need to grab a container of white whole wheat flour but I'll bet you can make it without. I'm just a purist when it comes to following recipes to an exacting nature. The parchment paper, however, is a must. The last thing anyone short on time wants to do is wrestle with a sheet pan. 3 squares Aside from zesting (this is my least favorite), the batter whisks together quickly and within about 10 minutes, it's in the oven for a good 15, if not a few more. Note: When it's done, don't expect it to be golden brown, but it will be spongy and bounce back to the touch. I flipped it onto a large cutting board and cut it into the 16 squares, serving myself the first two alongside eggs and bacon. Yum! Topped with pure maple syrup, these sheet pan pancakes are phenomenal, full of blueberry and lemon flavors, yet light and filling. My daughter, who had made herself pancakes for breakfast that day, downed three squares before I knew it and her boyfriend joined in to polish off two more. Since I was leaving to go to Florida on work, I didn't enjoy the meal prep fruits of my labor but I left them with four breakfasts prepped in the fridge. Easy to customize with other fruits, you're going to want to make these sheet pan pancakes ASAP! Contact Chrissy Kadleck at ckadleck@sbcglobal.net. Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Sheet Pan Pancakes Cooking spray 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour ½ cup white whole wheat flour 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 2 cups low-fat (1%) buttermilk 2 large eggs Juice and grated zest from 1 medium lemon 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1½ cups blueberries 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a rimmed 13- x 18-inch sheet pan with cooking spray (this will keep the parchment in place). Cut a piece of parchment paper to cover the bottom completely. Place on the sheet pan and spray more oil on the parchment and around the sides of the sheet pan. 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together the butter, buttermilk, eggs, lemon juice and zest, vanilla, and ¼ cup water until thoroughly combined. 3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Do not overmix (or worry if there are some lumps). 4. Gently fold in blueberries with a spatula. 5. Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan. Spread evenly with a spatula, then tap the sheet pan on the counter a few times to settle the batter. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until golden and set, about 15 minutes. 6. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Place a large cutting board over the top of the pan and flip the pancake onto the cutting board. Cut into 16 squares. Add toppings as desired and serve. Makes 8 servings Source: Skinnytaste Meal Prep cookbook, 2020