Fluffy pancakes, sans-buttermilk

So. It’s a Sunday afternoon and you realize that you are hungry. You have not had lunch yet. Ah…the thought occurs to you: pancakes are a typical Sunday thing! Hmmm…let’s have a roommate Sunday pancake lunch.
Problem—no buttermilk. Unfortunate, because buttermilk adds that…something that makes pancakes so wonderful. Fluffy, moist buttermilk pancakes.
Well…these pancakes don’t call for buttermilk!
I didn’t like them as much as my usual buttermilk pancake recipe, as I thought they were too fluffy (yes, it is possible) and too salty (even though I do like salty…Fiona’s thought was that they would be biscuits if you put them in a different form. Well.) and maybe even too dry (which wouldn’t have been a problem had we been in possession of maple syrup. Sigh. College student larders…)
So I made a few changes to the recipe…

Fluffy pancakes
(These made plenty for five very hungry people. So…I would say that if you stretched it, you could probably serve 6-8 people with this recipe.)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs
2 2/3 cups milk
1-2 teaspoons vanilla
cooking

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.

Whisk in melted butter, egg, vanilla, and milk until combined. Let batter rest for 5 minutes.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Pour batter into the hot skillet, about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on the sides and center of each pancake. Flip and cook until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Kahlua Chocolate Brownies

Cousins time! Which also means…time for wonderful brownies! We all seem to be nicely united in a love for chocolate. So we experimented with a new brownie recipe today!
This recipe calls for Kahlua, but I’ve discovered that strong coffee or espresso with a bit of cocoa mixed in can work as a substitute.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup cocoa, unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup melted butter, divided
1/4 cup boiling water, 1/4 cup Kahlua (Or very strong coffee or espresso with a pinch of cocoa)
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine cocoa and baking soda; blend in 1/3 cup melted butter. Add boiling water and Kahlua; stir until well blended. Stir in sugar, beaten eggs and remaining 1/3 cup butter. Stir in flour and salt. Stir nuts and the chocolate chips into chocolate brownies batter. Pour chocolate brownie batter into a greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20 to 35 minutes or until chocolate brownies are firm and begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool before cutting into squares.
Enjoy the rest of your Christmas break!