Earl Grey Pancakes

Two days ago, after much procrastination, I made the boyfriend and sister some pancakes! Personally not a fan of pancakes (#wafflesftw) so I knew I couldn't stomach plain ones and after much research (yay tumblr and buzzfeed!) I finally settled on Earl Grey Pancakes.

This pancake recipe is a no brainer, other than steeping your own earl grey milk, it is a one bowl recipe. Quick and easy, you don't even need a mixer. I would not recommend a mixer anyway.

Earl Grey Pancakes with Caramelized Bananas & Nutella Syrup

You will need: 

• 1 cup plain / all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg, whisked
• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 cup earl grey infused milk 
• 1 tbsp white vinegar OR 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp earl grey leaves (or more to your liking)

For Nutella syrup,

• Nutella
• Milk

Instructions: 

1. For earl grey infused milk - Heat up 1 1/2 cups of milk in a saucepan until it boils. Remove from heat and add earl grey teabags. I used four Twinning bags, but you can use any other brand of your choice.
   
   
   
   Steep for approx 4 mins and then let it cool.
   
   
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2. In a big mixing bowl, sift all your dry ingredients together - Flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
   
   
   
   Add the vinegar or lemon juice to your cooled milk at this point.
   
   Whisk your egg and butter into your flour mixture, then add a cup of the earl grey infused milk with vinegar/lemon to your bowl and mix.
   
   
   
   TIP: Do not over mix it! To keep your pancakes fluffy, lumps are ok! You just have to ensure your flour streaks have disappeared. Over beating your pancake batter leads to dense and chewy pancakes...
   Add the earl grey leaves (straight from a tea sachet) into the mixture.
   
   
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3. With some cooking spray (not a puddle of oil), coat your non-stick frying pan over medium heat. I used a ladle to portion my pancakes onto the pan.
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4. After pancake seems to have enough consistency that when the bubbles pop and does not "refill" on its own, gently slide a spatula under the pancake, lift it just a few inches high and flip your wrist! Super simple trick I learnt, this lets your pancake land back at the same spot it was, preventing smears.
   
   TIP: Resist the temptation to flatten your pancake with your spatula. All that volume your baking soda + vinegar-milk combi* made will be gone!
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5. After the latter side has browned, remove from heat. Finish with rest of batter.
   
   
   
   This recipe made me eight 10cm discs.
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6. For caramelized banana, simply heat up some butter over high heat, throw sliced bananas in, sprinkle the entire pan with sugar, wait for it to brown while gently sauteing it.
   
   
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7. For nutella syrup, slowly add hot milk bit by bit to nutella and mix well until you get a desired consistency for pouring over your pancakes.
   
   

INSTAGRAM HACK: Topping pancakes with fresh berries and nuts always makes for a good #igworthy picture with all the pretty colors LOL. Plus these toppings are better for you as compared to sweet toppings like candy. I used caramelized bananas and nutella to contrast the potentially sour blueberries on my plate so you can do the same!
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KITCHEN HACK: Too much berries for one plate? Freeze them. They don't go bad as fast and if you really end up not needing them in the next week or so, throw them into your bottle of water for some nice infused water.

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* aka fluffy pancake hack: vinegar + milk + baking soda = fancy chemical reaction (aka CO2) that further boosts baking soda (a raising agent). So, do not skip this ingredient. 

As always, if you do decide to try this recipe, do hastag #jillybeanzx on ig with how well you liked this recipe so I know what to improve on or if you've more tips to share! (: 

Have a great pancake-flipping week everyone!

Homemade Cinnamon Churros

Had plans to go to Adventure Cove today with the boyfriend but the weather did not agree. So we stayed in and had an indoor picnic in my room with churros! Probably the best recipe I've conjured in awhile, based on a few online recipes and their respective reviews.

Homemade Cinnamon Churros

You will need:

• 2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  
• For Frying, 
• 2 cups canola oil
  
• For Coating, 
• 2 tablespoons white sugar 
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon powder
  
• For Dipping,
• Any chocolate covertures (white, milk, semi-sweet, dark, bitter)
• Heavy cream
  
• Piping bags, piping tips or cookie cutters of your choice

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan, heat water, sugar, salt and canola oil over medium heat until it boils. 
   
2. Remove from heat and SLOWLY add the flour. It will bubble a lot initially so don't dump it all in!
   
   
3. Mix well until a dough forms. Add vanilla extract.
   
   
4. Let cool.
   
5. Meanwhile, mix sugar and cinnamon for coating. I used a ratio of 2:1 so the cinnamon wasn't overpowering.
   
   
6. When your churro dough has cooled enough to pipe or roll, start piping your churros onto a baking sheet or aluminum foil! 
   I rolled mine into heart shaped pieces because I am cheesy like that haha. I also find this less stressful as compared to piping them directly into hot oil, especially if this is your first time doing it!
   
   Fun Date Idea - The boyfriend joined me at this point of time and guys being guys, he made a dick shaped churro. I can only assume if I were to piped my churros, we'd compete to see who could pipe the longest.
   
   
7. Heat canola oil in a saucepan over low heat.
   
8. Gently lower pipped/cut churros into oil. I used chopsticks!
   
9. Cook until golden and crispy, approximately 10 minutes. (Don't forget to turn them occasionally to cook evenly!)
   
10. Place on kitchen towels to drain excess oil.
    
    
11. While still warm, coat in cinnamon + sugar mixture.
    
12. To make chocolate dip, microwave covertures and cream at 5 second bursts while stirring well in between until nice and fudgey. 

TADAAAAA, you are done. 

We had this with champagne and a movie on a SAF ground sheet lol. #spotthedickchurro

Pretty satisfied with this recipe. Definitely a keeper and I think this could be a base recipe for chocolate, oreo or even red velvet churros! 

Drop a comment for suggestions on which flavours or recipes I should try next or tag me on instagram with your finished churros! #jillybeanzx (lol, I am good at conjuring many things in the kitchen, hashtags are not one of them)