One day I decided to stop trying to make pancakes healthy, and that was the time my husband said, with eyes wide, “Wow, sometimes I forget how good a cook you are, and then this happens.” So now, of course, I make them this way all the time. I am as vulnerable to flattery as the next person. These pancakes are rich, pillowy, buttery, and really quite cakey, but without the sweetness. They leave the job of sweetness for the syrup, and for their part they will soak that syrup up expertly.

You can easily add berries, banana slices, or chocolate chips to these pancakes. Simply sprinkle them on top of the pancakes after you have them in the pan, but before the flip to the second side. This works much better than trying to add the mix-ins to the batter itself.

In our house, we often make slightly more coffee than we can drink before it gets cold. Sometimes, by the time we get done running around after a small person, what’s left in the pot isn’t that appealing. So one day, when we had run out of maple syrup, I thought I should take that unappealing cold coffee and add sugar and heat. The result is surprisingly dark and complex, without being too in your face about its coffee-ness. Pouring this syrup over your pancakes creates the feeling of a great diner experience, where the smell of coffee is always in the background.