Blueberry Muffin Pancakes with Bourbon Streusel

Picture it: You finally have a nice, leisurely weekend morning to make a delicious breakfast. Problem is, you can’t decide between blueberry muffins or blueberry pancakes to start your day. No worries, because I took the best parts of each and combined them into these blueberry muffin pancakes, and then I added bourbon to the streusel topping; you’re welcome.

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If you ask me, the best part of a blueberry muffin is the topping. You won’t catch me making a naked muffin. It needs to either be sprinkled with sparkling sugar or covered in a crumbly streusel for that wonderful classic crunch. And when it comes to pancakes, well, I like them to be fluffy and tangy, popping with bursts of colorful blueberry juice.

And whenever I have extra fresh blueberries, I’m torn between which one I’d rather enjoy that morning. So I didn’t choose. Instead, I covered my short stack of blueberry pancakes with a crumbly baked streusel. Between the berries in the pancakes and the bourbon in the streusel, these babies are popping with flavor!

What You Need to Get Started

You can easily find all of the ingredients for these streusel-topped blueberry pancakes at your grocery store. You can also order online using Amazon Fresh for grocery delivery.

• Pantry: All-purpose flour, Brown sugar, Quick oats, White whole wheat flour, Cornstarch, Sugar, Baking soda, Salt
• Fridge: Butter, Lemon juice, Milk, Eggs
• From the Bar: Bourbon
• Produce: Blueberries
• Equipment: Baking sheet, Aluminum foil, Mixing bowls, Whisk, Griddle pan

How to Make Bourbon Streusel

To get started you’ll want to make the streusel so that it has a little bit of time to cool before you crumble it on top of your stack of pancakes. Since anything made with white flour needs to be cooked, you’ll want to preheat your oven and line a baking sheet with foil to prepare.

Start the streusel by adding all of the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, and oats, into a small mixing bowl. Whisk or toss everything together until it’s well-combined. I found that this streusel didn’t need any additional flavors because of the bourbon, but if you’d like you can add a teaspoon of cinnamon or a pinch of other baking spices.

Then add in the butter and bourbon. The butter should be melted, but cooled slightly so that you are able to handle it. For the bourbon, I used Maker’s Mark, but feel free to use your favorite. A sweet, syrupy bourbon works best here. Stir the liquid into the flour mix until it’s all combined and crumbly.

Grab your lined sheet pan, and add the streusel onto it. Use a spatula or your hands to spread it out nicely to fill the pan. It should be a fairly thin and even layer, so that it bakes up uniformly. But it’s a streusel, so there will be some clumps and larger pieces.

Bake the streusel for five minutes at first. Then remove it from the oven and use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir and move it around the pan. Then return it to the oven to bake for another five minutes. Once it’s dry, set the streusel aside on a trivet to cool.

Let’s Make Blueberry Pancakes

If you are making these pancakes ahead of time, go ahead and turn off the oven. However, if you are instead serving them immediately, instead lower the temperature to the lowest your oven will go and crack it to vent for a few minutes. This way it will be ready to keep your pancakes warm while cooking in batches.

To begin the pancake batter, start by souring the milk. Add the lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then fill the cup with milk until you have a total of one-and-a-third cups of liquid. Give the mixture a stir, and set it aside to sour for about five minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients for the pancake batter in a large bowl: both flours, cornstarch, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together until everything is uniform and fully combined. If you don’t have white whole wheat flour, you can easily substitute by using only all-purpose flour. Just sub it out for the same amount.

Once the milk has sat for a few minutes, add the eggs and melted but cooled butter into it. If your cup isn’t quite big enough, you can transfer everything to a small bowl instead, but I like to save dishes when I can. Whisk everything together until it’s all combined, and the eggs are fully incorporated.

Then, pour the milk mixture into the flour mix and whisk it all together until everything is just combined. The more you mix here, the less fluffy your pancakes will be, so only whisk until there are no large dry pockets. It’s always better to have pancake batter that is a little bit lumpy, rather than completely smooth.

Finally, fold in the blueberries using a silicone spatula. You can do this by scooping the pancake batter up from underneath the berries, and then flipping it on top of them. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated and the blueberries are distributed.

To cook the pancakes, heat up a griddle or other large and flat pan over medium. I like to grease my pan with spray, but you can also use a drizzle of oil. Some people prefer pancakes made with butter in the pan for crispier edges, but I prefer the even cook your get from oil.

Then wait a few minutes for the pan to heat up. The secret to not throwing away that first pancake is patience. By waiting, you are both allowing the pan to reach a good temperature and also allowing the baking soda in the batter to begin reacting. You will see a few little bubbles on the surface of the batter. That’s a good sign.

Once the griddle is hot (but not too hot, be sure you are cooking over medium, not high heat), add scoops of pancake batter onto the pan. Work in batches to keep the pancakes separated. My griddle can usually hold three or four, but yours may be different.

Cook the pancakes for about three to five minutes on the first side. The pancake will let you know when it’s ready to flip. The bubbles forming on the top will begin popping, and the edges will start to appear dry and lift from the pan.

If you are not sure that they are ready, a clean sign is that they release from the pan. If you have to force your spatula under the pancake, it’s probably not quite there. Flip and cook on the other side for another three to five minutes until golden brown.

If you did end up flipping a little too early, it’s okay, just cook it on the first side for another minute or two. It won’t change the flavor at all. You’ll start to get a better idea as you work through the batter.

Serve these as a short stack or individual pancakes topped with a big spoonful of streusel and a drizzle of maple syrup. To make these in advance, store cooked pancakes in a sealed container or bag in the fridge for a couple days, reheating to serve. The streusel can be stored in a sealed bag at room temperature for up to a week.

How to Serve These Blueberry Pancakes

The classic way to eat pancakes is as part of a delicious and flavorful breakfast. Since you can make these ahead and reheat quickly, try pairing them with your morning coffee, tea, or cocoa. A chai white hot chocolate or chestnut honey cafe au lait would be perfect.

If you are serving these blueberry pancakes for brunch or breakfast-for-dinner, then you will definitely want to pair them with a tasty cocktail. To complement the fruity flavors, serve blueberry basil Moscow mules. Or if you’re a bourbon lover, try an amaretto old fashioned.

If you’d rather your pancakes without blueberries, you are sure to love fresh buttermilk pancakes from scratch, served with a maple butter.

Use Up Leftover Ingredients

• Extra quick oats add extra crunch in a pear and apple crisp, or star in a vegan banana, coconut, and date oatmeal.
• Drink leftover bourbon in a ginger Algonquin cocktail, or eat it as part of a classic apple tart.
• Lemon juice adds a slight tang to a Funfetti cookie dough pie or sours the milk for the biscuits atop a cherry cobbler.
• If you’re not eating any additional blueberries by the handful, bake them up into super colorful and fun blueberry cheesecake cookies.

Special Equipment

• Baking sheet
• Aluminum foil
• Mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Griddle pan

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• Blue striped towel
• Large plate
• Small plate
• Small bowl
• Wooden trivet
• Bamboo board
• Small glass dish
• Measuring cup