Having good pre-made pancakes stocked in the fridge or freezer is great for when you need a breakfast on the go, your kids are craving your attention, or you don’t want to tarnish a freshly cleaned kitchen with piles of dirty dishes.

These easy, from-scratch pancakes are made with hearty whole wheat flour, milk, maple syrup and a few other simple ingredients. Prepare a batch over the weekend to enjoy all week long.

In the fall, we love to add fresh apples to make Whole-Wheat Apple Cinnamon Pancakes. In the summer, we add local blueberries to our batter or top our pancakes with fresh berries, peaches or nectarines. For a dessert-like treat, we’ll top our pancakes with Caramelized Bananas. Use this recipe as a base and flavor your pancakes any way you like.

What better way to encourage your kids to cook than by getting them involved in making these easy pancakes. Have them help by mixing the ingredients together or adding blueberries to the batter.

When starting out, I was less than stellar at making the perfect pancake. There was the time I burnt them to a charred crisp, another that I flipped them way before they were set and let’s not forget the day I used a stainless steel pan… OH MY, what a mess!

Becoming a pro pancake maker has taken some time, so I wanted to share the best tricks I’ve learned over the years to reach pancake perfection.

1. Use a non-stick pan or griddle, like this one.
2. Do the “sizzle test.” Heat the pan on medium-high heat. Do the “sizzle test” to know when your pan’s ready by running your fingers under some water and flicking a few water droplets on the pan. When you hear a slight sizzle, the pan is warm enough to add the batter.
3. Add just enough butter or oil to coat the surface of your pan. You don’t need much, but without it your batter will stick.
4. Turn the heat down to medium-low when cooking your pancakes. When you initially add your batter, you want that higher heat to crisp them, BUT once your batter is poured, lower your heat and allow those babies to brown slowly. I know this takes a little longer but it’s better than burnt pancakes.
5. Don’t flip them too soon. After pouring your batter, wait until the top of your pancakes show little bubbles that pop. Take a look underneath and if they’re golden brown, it’s time to flip.

• Pancake sandwich: fresh berries and a smear of goat, cream or cottage cheese as the filling, sandwiched between two pancakes (served hot or cold)
• Sliced into strips: served cold with a side of fresh fruit and plain yogurt that’s mixed with a drizzle of maple syrup as a dipping sauce