Buzz
When it comes to pancakes, I’m a stickler for tradition. While I’ll occasionally indulge in a chocolate and cheese flapjack (a Weencake, if you will), my go-to flavor is buttermilk, and my top choices for toppings are butter and maple syrup.
The classic pairing of maple syrup and salted butter is a fan favorite for good reason: it’s simply delicious. The rich, salty butter and the deep, sweet maple syrup harmonize perfectly—covering all the essential pancake flavor notes (especially with the slight acidity from the buttermilk). While it’s tough to top, Neil Kleinberg of Clinton Street Baking Company manages to do just that with his incredible maple butter.
Maple butter is exactly what it sounds like: maple syrup and butter whisked together into a smooth, unified sauce. This approach enhances your pancake in several ways: instead of spreading solid butter and then drizzling syrup, you can pour the perfect blend of both evenly over the pancake, preserving its delicate texture. Though it may seem like a small touch, it ensures a more seamless and enjoyable pancake experience.
As per MarthaStewart.com, Kleinberg suggests using one cup of Grade B maple syrup (now rebranded as “Grade A: Dark Color and Robust Taste”) for every cup (or two sticks) of unsalted butter. This ratio can be adjusted to fit your family's pancake preferences. The one change I’d make is to swap in salted butter instead of unsalted because, as our own A.A. Newton puts it, “salt doesn’t just make food taste good; it makes food taste, period.”
Making maple butter is a breeze. Simply heat your syrup in a saucepan over medium heat, adding cold butter, one piece at a time, whisking after each addition until the sauce takes on a light caramel color. Serve it warm (with fresh pancakes) and store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge, where it will stay good for up to two months and be ready to reheat whenever the pancake craving hits.
