50 Pancakes and Waffles

1: Basic Pancakes Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk 1 1/4 cups milk, 1/2 stick melted butter, 2 eggs and a little vanilla, then whisk into the flour mixture until just combined. Ladle 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot buttered skillet and cook until bubbly. Flip and cook until golden on the bottom.

2: Blueberry Pancakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1); sprinkle with blueberries before flipping.

3: Chocolate-Chip Pancakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1); sprinkle with chocolate chips before flipping.

4: Whole-Wheat Pancakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) with 3/4 cup each all-purpose and whole-wheat flour. Top with chopped almonds and berries.

5: Corn Cakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) with just 1/2 cup flour; add 1 cup yellow cornmeal with the flour. Top with honey.

6: Blue Corn Cakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) with just 1/2 cup flour; add 1 cup blue cornmeal with the flour. Top with dried apricots warmed in honey.

7: Oat Pancakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) with just 3/4 cup flour; add 1/2 cup ground oats and 1/4 cup wheat germ with the flour.

8: Lemon-Strawberry Cakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) with just 1/2 cup milk. Add 1 cup cottage cheese and 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest with the milk. Top with strawberries and honey.

9: Blini Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) or Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with 3/4 cup each all-purpose and buckwheat flour; omit the butter. Cook by tablespoonfuls. Serve with sour cream, smoked salmon and chives.

10: Berry-Topped Pancakes Toss 3 cups mixed berries with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice; let sit while you make Basic Pancakes (No. 1). Top the pancakes with the berries and their juices.

11: Cocoa-Banana Pancakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) with just 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons flour; add 1/3 cup cocoa powder with the flour and use 2/3 cup sugar. Add 2 mashed bananas and 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips to the batter.

12: Bacon-Apple Pancakes Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1); add 1/4 cup crumbled bacon and 1/2 grated apple to the batter.

13: Buttermilk Pancakes Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon each baking soda and salt. Whisk 1 1/4 cup buttermilk, 1/2 stick melted butter, 2 eggs and a little vanilla, then whisk into the flour mixture until just combined. Ladle 1/4 cupful onto a hot buttered skillet and cook until bubbly. Flip and cook until golden on the bottom.

14: Cherry-Topped Pancakes Cook 2 cups pitted cherries, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon water over low heat until syrupy. Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13); top with the cherry syrup.

15: Rum-Raisin Sundaes Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13); add 1/4 cup plumped raisins to the batter. Heat 1/4 cup syrup with 1 tablespoon rum and 1/4 cup raisins. Top the pancakes with ice cream and the rum syrup.

16: Peach Corn Cakes Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with just 3/4 cup flour; add 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal with the flour. Omit the butter. Add 1 cup chopped peaches to the batter. Top with peaches warmed in syrup.

17: Rhubarb Pancakes Simmer 1 cup chopped rhubarb with 1/2 cup sugar until soft. Cool, then drain; reserve the syrup. Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13); add half of the rhubarb to the batter. Top with strawberries and the remaining rhubarb and syrup.

18: Yogurt Pancakes Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with 1 1/4 cups plain yogurt instead of buttermilk.

19: Banana-Spice Cakes Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with 3/4 cup sour cream plus 3/4 cup milk instead of buttermilk; add a dash of cinnamon to the batter. Add sliced bananas before flipping. Top with sour cream and brown sugar.

20: Bourbon-Bacon Pancakes Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup rye flour. Add 1 tablespoon bourbon to the batter. Heat 1/2 cup syrup, 1 tablespoon bourbon and some crumbled bacon; top pancakes with these.

21: Red Velvet Pancakes Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with just 1 cup flour; add 1/2 cup cocoa powder with the flour. Use 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar instead of granulated and omit the butter. Tint the batter with red food coloring. Top with sweetened mascarpone or whipped cream cheese.

22: Dutch Baby Mix 4 eggs, 1 cup milk, 2/3 cup flour, 1/2 stick melted butter, 3 tablespoons sugar and a little vanilla in a blender. Melt some butter in a cast-iron skillet. Add 1 sliced pear, then the batter; bake at 375 degrees F, 35 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

23: Pumpkin Pancakes Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with just 1 cup buttermilk. Add 1/2 cup pumpkin puree and 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips to the batter.

24: Sour Silver Dollars Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) without baking powder. Use 3/4 cup sour cream plus 1/4 cup milk instead of buttermilk and butter. Cook by tablespoonfuls.

25: Lemon Stacks Make Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13) with 3/4 cup sour cream plus 2/3 cup milk instead of buttermilk and butter. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon to the batter. Cook by 2 tablespoonfuls; layer with lemon curd and top with whipped cream.

26: Pancakes with Apricots Simmer 1 cup chopped dried apricots, 1 tablespoon apricot jam, 1/2 cup water and 1 teaspoon honey until the apricots are plump. Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) or Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13); top with the apricots.

27: Tropical Pancakes Simmer 3/4 cup agave nectar, 1 vanilla bean (split and seeds scraped), 1 strip orange zest and 1/4 cup orange juice until syrupy, then stir in 1 cup diced mango and pineapple. Make Basic Pancakes (No. 1) or Buttermilk Pancakes (No. 13); top with the fruit syrup.

28: Crepes Mix 3 eggs, 1 3/4 cups milk, 1 cup flour, 5 tablespoons melted butter and a pinch of salt in a blender. Pour a thin film of batter into a small hot buttered nonstick pan; cook until set, then flip and cook 30 more seconds.

29: Crepes Suzette Make Crepes (No. 28). Melt 1 stick butter in a medium skillet. Stir in 6 tablespoons orange liqueur and tilt to ignite. When the flame dies, add the crepes, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 strip each orange and lemon peel. Warm through.

30: Swedish Pancakes Mix 3 eggs, 2 cups milk, 1 1/2 cups flour, 6 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon sugar and a pinch of salt in a blender. Cook as directed for Crepes (No. 28). Serve with berries or jam.

31: Shortcut Museli Pancakes Prepare a boxed pancake mix, substituting 1/2 cup finely ground muesli for 1/2 cup of the mix. Add 2 extra tablespoons milk or water. Cook as directed. Top with yogurt.

32: Blintzes Make Crepes (No. 28). Mix 1 1/2 pounds farmer cheese, 2 eggs, 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, and some lemon zest and cinnamon. Spoon onto the crepes and fold each into a packet. Cook in a hot buttered skillet until crisp; top with jam.

33: Shortcut Apple Pancakes Prepare a boxed pancake mix. Add 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to the batter; cook as directed.

34: Shortcut Lemon-Poppy Seed Pancakes Prepare a boxed pancake mix. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons each grated lemon zest, lemon juice and poppy seeds to the batter; cook as directed. Top with lemon marmalade.

35: Shortcut Cranberry Pancakes Prepare a boxed pancake mix. Add 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon grated orange zest and 1/2 cup chopped fresh cranberries to the batter; cook as directed. Cook 3/4 cup cranberries in 1 cup syrup. Spoon over the pancakes.

36: Classic Waffles Whisk 2 cups flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix in 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, 5 tablespoons melted shortening and 4 tablespoons melted butter. Cook in a waffle iron until crisp.

37: Bacon-Pecan Waffles Sprinkle 12 strips bacon with brown sugar and bake at 400 degrees F until crisp; cool, then crumble. Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 1 3/4 cups flour and 1 extra tablespoon shortening. Add 1 cup candied bacon and 1/2 cup chopped pecans to the batter. Top with more bacon and nuts.

38: Spice Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 1/4 cup sugar; add 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice to the batter.

39: Chicken and Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36). Top with butter, syrup, fried chicken and hot sauce.

40: Banana-Split Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 4 tablespoons peanut oil instead of butter. Top with ice cream, peanuts, bananas, whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

41: Almond Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 1 3/4 cups flour and 1 extra tablespoon shortening. Add a little vanilla and 1/2 cup sliced almonds to the batter.

42: Waffle Sandwiches Make Classic Waffles (No. 36). Cool and cut into rounds. Make into sandwiches with ice cream. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

43: Pistachio Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 1 3/4 cups flour and 1 extra tablespoon shortening. Add 1/3 cup chopped pistachios and 2 tablespoons orange zest to the batter. Top with honey, pistachios and orange zest.

44: Waffle French Toast Whisk 4 eggs with 2 cups milk. Soak thick slices of white bread in the mixture, 5 minutes, then cook in an oiled waffle iron until crisp.

45: Ham-and-Swiss Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 1 1/2 cups flour and 1 extra tablespoon shortening. Mix in 1/2 cup each diced ham and grated Gruyère; season with pepper.

46: Wild-Rice Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 1 cup all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour. Add 1/2 cup cooked wild rice to the batter.

47: Morning Glory Waffles Make Classic Waffles (No. 36) with 1 3/4 cups flour and 1 extra tablespoon shortening. Add 1/4 cup each shredded carrot and apple, a pinch of cinnamon and a sprinkle each of currants, chopped walnuts and coconut to the batter.

48: Belgian Waffles Dissolve 1 packet yeast in 3 cups warm milk. Whisk in 2 sticks melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 egg yolks, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 teaspoon salt and 4 cups flour. Cover and let rise 1 1/2 hours. Stir. Beat 3 egg whites until stiff, then fold into the batter. Cook in a waffle iron until crisp.

49: German Chocolate Waffles Make Belgian Waffles (No. 48) with 1 cup sugar and just 3 1/3 cups flour. Add 2/3 cup cocoa powder and 1/4 cup melted coconut oil to the batter before rising. Top with coconut ice cream, toasted coconut and caramel.

50: Figgy Waffles Make Belgian Waffles (No. 48). Top with yogurt, fresh figs and honey.

Photographs by Yunhee Kim