Blueberry Ginger Hotcakes

I had planned to put some of these together as food gifts for the holidays, but I wanted to try it out on my family first.  Well, between all the cookie baking, and shopping and decorating and gift wrapping and fa-la-laing, I simply ran out of time to do it.  Sooo, with ingredients already purchased back in early December, I decided to go ahead and give it a try anyway a few days ago.  I figured, if it's a keeper, then I'll have that one little idea for Christmas 2011 already in my back pocket.

Or. 

Or!

Wouldn't this make a nice little gift to give someone just for the heck of it?!  Wouldn't it be a thoughtful wintertime pick-me-up to give a friend, or as a "thank you" to someone for helping you out?  Maybe they brought your son/daughter home from practice or maybe a hostess gift for your friend that's hosting Bunco.  The possibilities are endless. 

There are a lot of recipes out there for food mixes in a jar.  You know how it goes, layer all the dry ingredients in a jar and attach the instructions with a pretty little ribbon.  This one is for Blueberry-Ginger Hotcakes and I pulled the recipe from the December 2010 issue of Midwest Living magazine.  The hotcakes (I love that word so much more than pancakes.) have a grown-up taste to them.  Personally, I loved them.  My kids were not so eager to gobble them up.  But then again, they have been spoiled with the Buttermilk Pancakes that I make on the nights we have breakfast-for-dinner.  I would still make this for a friend. 

Okay, clearly this is not a gift-giving jar.  It's an empty Jif peanut butter jar.  I knew it was just for us, so no need to put on airs and act all fancy.  Martha wasn't stopping by for breakfast, so I knew I could get away with it.  This is one of those large peanut butter jars, so you'll need a quart sized jar if you want to make this for gift-giving purposes.  Otherwise, if it's just for you, put it in any old container you like.  No one will care.

Blueberry Ginger Hotcakes

Here's What You Need:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup yellow corn meal

3/4 cup dried blueberries or dried tart cherries (the cherries would make a great Valentine gift!)

1/2 cup buttermilk powder

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Here's What You Do:

Layer all of the ingredients in the jar in the order listed above.  And then, copy down the following instructions and include it with the jar when you gift it to someone.  If you are wanting to create a complete "experience" for the recipient, you could include a bottle of good quality maple or blueberry syrup inside a mixing bowl with a whisk and a pretty dish towel.

So, here are the instructions:

Shake the jar to mix the ingredients. 

For One Batch:  

Whisk together:

1 egg

3/4 cup water

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Add half of the jar (1 3/4 cups mix)

Stir just until combined but slightly lumpy.  Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes.  Heat the griddle over medium heat and when it's ready, lightly grease the griddle.  Using about 1/4 cup of the batter at a time, pour onto the griddle.  Cook for 2-3 minutes total.  Serve immediately with your favorite toppings. 

I had some fresh blueberries that we added to the top with our syrup.  We were fortunate to have some blueberry syrup that my parents brought back for us from their trip to Maine last fall.  The syrup made these hot cakes extra special.  If I were to make these for my kids again, I might leave out the chopped crystallized ginger.  They kept asking what the "chewy stuff" was.  My kids aren't into food with foreign substances.