Hannah’s Peanut Butter Blueberry Pancakes with Honey, Inspired by Kristin Harmel’s Gut-wrenching Novel THE LIFE INTENDED

I must admit that I don’t love all of the books that I read in search of recipe inspiration. Though most of the novels I’ve reviewed have been of the highest quality, I just happen to be a very picky reader. But this one really got to me, as few do. I actually loved every agonizing minute of Kristin Harmel’s The Life Intended, and had trouble putting it down.

The novel, set in post 9-11 New York City, immediately drew me in with enough hints to expect a gut-wrenching hook that would have me reading like I watch scary movies. I didn’t want to look because I could sense disaster coming, but I HAD to keep reading to see how the heroine would fare. The devastating event I feared was worse than I’d anticipated, which left an entire book with the horrible truth hanging over my head, and Katielee, so-called by her beloved husband, still struggling to come to terms over a decade later. And so, it was at this point that I began to feel grateful for the magic of novel writing and an author’s ability to create a world outside of our physical realm. Kristin Harmel invents a conceivable alternate reality for Katie to show her that true love knows no bounds and leads her to truth in her existing life. Hannah, a girl from Katie’s dreams, or maybe just a figment of her imagination, begins to play an integral role in the decisions she makes in her quest for happiness, and helps her see where she is settling for less than what she wants and deserves in her tangible world.

Harmel lists the ingredients used to make Hannah’s favorite dish, peanut butter blueberry pancakes, which I knew as soon as they were mentioned I must make for the blog, so all I had to do to create my recipe was come up with the proper proportions to make my rendition. And because Hannah prefers them with honey, I drizzled a bit from our local farmer’s market on each serving.

I realized as I took my first bite, that Katie was spot on when she first assessed the flavor of the fluffy pancakes that Hannah adored, blueberries added the perfect tartness and went so well with the honey and peanut butter.

Hannah’s Peanut Butter Blueberry Pancakes with Honey

Ingredients:

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 T sugar

1T baking powder

1/2 tsp. pink Himalayan salt

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

2 T vegetable oil

1 egg

1 1/2 c. milk

1 cup Wymann’s of Maine Wild Blueberries, frozen. This was my first time using this brand. They were wonderful!

Butter for cooking

Method:

Sift the dry ingredients together.

Beat the peanut butter and oil together.

Whisk in the egg.

Beat in the milk.

Fold together the wet and dry ingredients.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Melt butter on the surface to prepare it for cooking.

In the book, Katie instinctively spoons “five dollops of batter” for each pancake. My batter was pretty thick, so I ended up spreading three spoons full into a circle for each.

Drop in blueberries.

Flip when bubbles begin to form on the surface of the pancakes.

Heat until golden, puffed, and cooked through.

Serve with honey or maple syrup.

Yield: 8 medium sized pancakes

 

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