These Bourbon Butter Pancakes are a flavorful update to the classic dull pancake recipe. Use bourbon butter instead of regular butter and brown sugar instead of white sugar for a pancake that has notes of caramel. Also, Lemon Zest!

I’m not a pancake lover. I think they’re flavorless and exist solely as a delivery system for butter and maple syrup. And, along with many other breakfast foods, I consider them a dessert more than a healthy breakfast.

For either breakfast or dessert, I was intent to develop a pancake recipe that would taste just as good with or without sugary toppings. If I’m eating pancakes, I want them to be delicious!

I tested well over a dozen recipes and ate more than thirty pancakes in a week’s time. I tested regular pancakes, buttermilk pancakes, and condensed milk pancakes. I tested pancakes with and without eggs, with a lot of sugar, with honey, and with brown sugar. I tested pancakes with fruit in the batter and fruit added while cooking. In the end, I came back to the tried and true pancake recipe with some small but significant changes.

This recipe swaps regular butter and sugar for bourbon butter and brown sugar. These small changes result in a pancake with a more caramel-like flavor. They’re AH-mazing. I couldn’t stop eating them once I nailed the recipe. I also gained more weight than you can imagine but just eating pancakes for a week.

Bourbon Butter

To make bourbon butter you’re going to need a fire extinguisher. This involves flambéing bourbon in a hot pan to cook off the alcohol. It can be a little startling as a three-foot fireball explodes inches from your face – but it’s also super rad. If you’re using a flame top range (and have nerves of steel) you can slowly tilt the pan forward to let the fire ignite the fumes. If you think you might get startled and drop the pan, leave the pan alone and carefully wave a lit match over the pan to ignite the fumes. The match method is also what you’d use for electric stovetops. Allow the fire to burn for twenty seconds or so before placing a lid over the pan to extinguish the flame. Repeat igniting any fumes if necessary.

Once you’ve burned off the alcohol in the bourbon, you should be left with about a tablespoon of bourbon syrup. To that add unsalted butter. Stir it around in the pan to incorporate with the bourbon. Once the butter has melted and emulsified with the bourbon, pour it off into a small bowl to cool.

Dry Ingredients

I found that sifting the flour does result in a fluffier pancake. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl. This can be stored in an airtight container for months. You can double or triple this so you have the dry ingredients on hand whenever you need them.

Wet Ingredients

Whisk the egg and milk together in a mixing bowl for a few minutes. The liquid should increase in volume and become foamy. Drizzle in the bourbon butter as you continue to mix. Then mix in the brown sugar.

Combine

Combine the wet and dry ingredients in one bowl. Fold them together just until there’s no more dry flour. Then fold in the lemon zest. Allow the pancake batter to rest five to ten minutes before cooking.

Making Pancakes

I tried a cast iron pan and two different nonstick skillets for making pancakes. You’ll have to see what pan works best for you but I found this old enameled cast iron skillet worked best for me. I also tried cooking the pancakes in both cooking spray and butter. Butter was the clear winner as far as texture and taste but, if for some ridiculous reason you’re trying to reduce the calories of your bourbon butter pancakes, cooking spray will do the job.

Heat your skillet to about 350°F. You can use an infrared thermometer or use the water test. If you drop some water on the pan and it dances for a moment before evaporating you’re good to go. For five medium size pancakes I used a 1/3 measuring cup. There’s really no way to tell you how long pancakes take to cook. It depends on the size and thickness of your pancake and the temperature of your pan. You have to eyeball it. Your pancake is ready to flip when the entire surface is marked with bubbles. It should be 2-3 minutes. Flip the pancake and cook for another minute or two.

Do not place your hot pancakes directly on a cold plate. Do not stack your pancakes as you continue to cook more. Pancakes should be placed on a sheet pan lined with a kitchen towel then placed in a preheated 200-degree oven. This ensures they stay warm and light.

To Serve

If you’ve set your pancakes in a warm oven after cooking them, you have plenty of time to prep your accompaniments. Make a second pot of coffee. Freshly squeeze some orange juice. Fry up some bacon. Make homemade Strawberry Whipped Cream. Maybe a little blueberry compote. Oh, I tried blueberries in the batter but that really sucked. Caramel nibs though – that would totally work. As would a minute julep.