We’ve had the first touch of cool weather here in Florida, and that means one thing: getting into my car to go hunt down breakfast on Sunday morning is the last thing I want to do. That’s why I like to have a bag of pancake mix on hand to bust out on the weekend. But I still need eggs and milk, which, since Sunday is grocery day, I usually don’t have on hand. That’s why I was thrilled when Birch Benders asked if I wanted to try out their all-in-one waffle/pancake mix.
I was a bit wary at first. After all, why should I trust a pre-made mix when I already have a reliable recipe that I can prep ahead of time? See the aforementioned lack of eggs and milk. Birch Benders has the egg and dairy you need for fluffy waffles and pancakes built right into the mix. It’s the perfect thing to throw in your camping kit. All you need is some water and heat and you’re good to go.
What’s nice is that the mix is versatile–it works just as well in waffle makers as it does on the stovetop (or over the fire). I actually like it better as a waffle mix (mostly because I never met a pancake I couldn’t undercook or burn, though these did turn out more consistent than my usual). It could be that the Paleo mixes don’t spread out as well to make good-looking pancakes or it could be that I suck at making them (see previous parenthetical), but the chocolate chip mix in my waffle maker was exactly what I needed on a Sunday morning.
In my house, no one ever wants the same thing, which means I end up making some batches with chocolate chips, some without, and never enough of either. With the Birch Bender mixes, it’s an easy task to pour out a little more of one and fire off a couple of additional pancakes or waffles. And they have a wide variety of mixes, flavors like Pumpkin Spice or Double Chocolate Peppermint that sound interesting, but I would never make an entire batch of them because maybe only one person would eat them. There are even Paleo-friendly and Protein waffles (the Peanut Butter mix was my absolute favorite of the bunch).
So if you’re looking for a break from the Sunday morning donuts, but you’re dreading having to nuke the kitchen whipping together from-scratch pancakes, grab a bag from Amazon (or head down to Whole Foods or Lucky’s), heat up your cast iron pan, and get cooking.
Disclaimer: Birch Benders provided samples for this review. Opinions are my own.
