RECIPE: The best-ever pancakes, compliments of ALDI

I found this pancake recipe on the side of ALDI's Baker's Corner baking mix and it is truly the best recipe for pancakes I've ever used. I'm not saying that I'm an expert on pancakes or anything, except for eating them. Eating them, I could probably win a gold medal. Actually making them? Not so much. I mean, my adult life has consisted of adding water to a cup of pancake mix or whatever, it's not rocket science or anything.


But my family immediately liked this easy recipe. They were so enthusiastic, they wanted pancakes every day for breakfast for about a week, a task I was disinclined to undertake. But I do bust it out on the weekends, or on days like today when the girls are grumpy because every public and private school in all the surrounding counties is closed due to the arrival of an inordinate amount of snow last night. Pancakes sweeten their tempers and remind them how lucky they are to be receiving an education that includes no snow days is thorough and complete.

For your pancakes, visit your local ALDI, if you are fortunate enough to have one, and for an amazingly small amount of money:

Carlini canola oil
Baker's Corner baking mix
Friendly Farms evaporated milk
Spice Club pure vanilla extract
Goldhen large eggs
Aunt Maple's lite pancake syrup (we forgot to take Aunt Maple's picture)

Baker's Corner's Old Fashioned Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 cups Baker's Corner Baking Mix
1 large Goldhen egg
1 1/3 cups Friendly Farms evaporated milk (the conversion for evaporated milk is half milk/half water)
2 tablespoons sugar (this comes from ALDI too, but it is in my canister and not in the original packaging, so I don't know the name of the "brand")
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Heat griddle or electric skillet to 400 degrees. If using a frying pan over top of range, set to medium-high temperature. Pour a small amount of canola oil over whatever cooking surface you're using, turning the skillet or griddle to lightly coat. Cooking surface is ready when a few drops of water dance and disappear when sprinkled on the surface.

Stir all ingredients together until smooth. Pour slightly less than 1/4 cup of batter onto the cooking surface. Cook until bubbles form on the surface (about one minute). Turn and cook until bottom color matches top (about one minute).

Serve with Aunt Maple syrup! Yummm....