The Amazing Flying Heavenly Hots

If you blow hard on these, they’ll float in the air. Heavenly hots are very light, very delicate and very delicious mini-pancakes.

This recipe was developed by cookbook author Marion Cunningham and is featured in her “Breakfast Book” (Alfred A. Knopf; 1987). To introduce the recipe, she writes: “These are the lightest sour cream silver-dollar-size hot cakes I’ve ever had--they seem to hover over the plate.”

She’s right. The secret is the sour cream, which makes the hot cakes so tender.

I have seen these on restaurant menus, but to my mind they’re best made at home where they can go from skillet to table in seconds.

The delicacy of the batter cannot be overemphasized. Use a nonstick griddle or spray a conventional griddle with nonstick cooking spray, then use a little butter for good measure. Do not use too high a temperature or the hot cakes will become rubbery.

Heavenly hots live up to the title when served plain, but when studded with blueberries and topped with a blueberry sauce, they’re one bite beyond.

BLUEBERRY HEAVENLY HOTS

BLUEBERRY SAUCE

1/2 cup blueberries

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Juice of 1 lemon

Combine blueberries, maple syrup, cinnamon and lemon juice in small pan and simmer 10 minutes. Keep warm while preparing pancakes. Makes about 1 cup.

HEAVENLY HOTS

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 rounded tablespoons cake flour

1 cup light or regular sour cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/2 cup blueberries

Nonstick cooking spray

2 tablespoons butter

Beat eggs in bowl. Add salt, baking soda and cake flour. Stir in sour cream, sugar and lemon peel and whisk until smooth. Fold in blueberries.

Generously spray griddle with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until water droplets sizzle when sprinkled on griddle. Add 1 tablespoon butter and allow it to melt. Spoon batter by tablespoons to form 2-inch pancakes. Cook on 1 side until tops are bubbly and edges set, 3 to 5 minutes. Gently flip pancakes and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer to serving plate.

Melt remaining tablespoon butter and cook remaining batter. Pancakes should be served as soon as cooked. Serve with warm Blueberry Sauce.

Makes 2 servings.

Each serving contains about:

602 calories; 486 mg sodium; 279 mg cholesterol; 35 grams fat; 63 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 0.95 grams fiber.