Who wouldn’t want purple pancakes?
I finally got my hands on the coveted Trader Joe’s Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix. I saw these years ago at my local Trader Joe’s and made the mistake of not buying them. Then I didn’t see them again for YEARS…until last week.
The magic ingredient in these is ube (pronounced “ooh-bay”), a purple yam native to Southeast Asia. It has a mild flavor that is both slightly sweet and nutty and it is often used in desserts. The most alluring ube feature is its gorgeous purple color. Who wouldn’t want purple pancakes?
These required a lot more prep work then I’m used to. And by that I mean I had to get an egg out of my fridge and melt a tablespoon of butter in separate bowls. Crazy! For what it’s worth I’m used to using Kodiak Cakes mix where I just add water. And I don’t even measure the water anymore, I just kind of splash an unknown amount in there until it feels right.
Anyways, I followed the directions exactly and whisked together the egg, melted butter, and water. Then I combined the wet mix with the ube mix and got a lovely lilac batter, which I poured on my griddle in very satisfying purple circles.
The pancakes retained most of their lavender color despite some browning on both sides. They weren’t as fluffy as I’d like, but that might be due to my griddle, and not the mix. I’d give them another .5 to 1 point increase if I can up the fluff factor.
The taste was unexpected and delightful! They were slightly chewy and sweet and tasted like a purple coconut delight. Were they a touch too sweet for everyday breakfast? Maybe. I’m more inclined to stick with my tried and true pancake mix for regular pancake-ing.
JUST THE STACKS – 7.5/10 TASTY STACKS
Overall Taste: If purple had a flavor this would be it (you might be thinking if purple had a flavor it would be grape but you would be wrong.)
Mouthfeel: Sweet, chewy, and coconutty – a real delight!
Price: $3.99
Available at: Your local Trader Joe’s. Maybe. Also overpriced at Amazon.
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