Handfelt Hotcake Showdown: Made from Scratch Edition - Up in Your Griddle!

For the uninitiated, there was once an Internet phenomenon that was on par with Rick Rolling and Facebook in terms of popularity. That's right, The Handfelt Hotcake Showdown.

Boxed pancake mixes from near and far would come to compete in the Handfelt Hacienda for the title of "Pancake President". A lot of batter, sweat and carbs went into the competition, but when the flour dust settled, one woman, clad in a do-rag and a smile emerged victorious. That's right, Auntie J.

Now we've exhausted all of the different pancake mixes and it's time to move on. Well, not really, but we can't allow ourselves to buy any more boxes until we get rid of the remaining five left in the pantry.

Yet that doesn't mean that we can't whip up some made from scratch recipes and get this party started all over again.

This time around, we'll just be sampling one recipe at a time, judging each on it's own merits. There will also be the occasional guest judge who will weigh in on the proceedings with the gravity of a Supreme Court ruling. Also, we'll be taking submissions from our loyal reader(s). Got a good one? Send it to me at benhandfelt@gmail.com and prepare to be judged.

First up is one of our tried and true faves, the "secret IHOP recipe." I can't remember where I found this. It may have been in the depths of my previous pancake research or someone may have sent it to me. Who can be sure? (And quite frankly, who cares?)

IHOP Recipe

1 1/4 cups flour
1 egg
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sugar (I usually use a little more)
1 heaping tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup oil
pinch of salt

Preheat a non-stick griddle over medium heat. For God's sakes, spring for this one. In a blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth. Ladle this gooey goodness onto the skillet. Make your own sound effects. When the edges appear to harden after a minute of two, flip those things like you flip off some d-bag that cut you off in the carpool lane. Cook for another minute or there abouts. Enjoy with butter, syrup and fresh berries.

The Results

The bar has been set dangerously high early in the game. These pancakes are fluffy, sugary (they don't even really require syrup) and as moist as cool spring morning. You may consider IHOP to be beneath you, but you sir, are a pompous fool. They didn't go "International" for nothing. These pancakes aren't to be trifled with and are best served warm, like my sass.

Final Score: 9 dollops out of 10