As the title of the post succinctly states, this attempt at Buttermilk Pancakes (Cook's Illustrated "Best" no less) was a bit of a bust. It wasn't a complete disaster because the pancakes were still "fine" (maybe even "pretty good"), but they weren't among the best pancakes we've ever had, including the CI Light and Fluffy Pancakes I made a few years ago.
The reason is most likely user error. I definitely overheated the butter in the microwave, leading to a slight explosion and then too little butter for the batter. I also substituted additional buttermilk for the sour cream, and added chocolate chips, which didn't really work with these pancakes (the bitter chips didn't quite meld with the non-super-sweet pancakes). Finally, my pan was definitely not hot enough, resulting in the anemically colored pancakes featured in the post.
Otherwise, these pancakes were as pancakes are – very simple to make and prepare on a weekend or weekday. Just mix together the dry ingredients, then wet ingredients, loosely mix together, and you are ready for a pre-heated pan to start cooking.
And then after several minutes on one side (again, pan wasn't hot enough), flip to the other side.
Then serve – or immediately eat as you cook more up!
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