As the air turns cool and the sun begins its annual winter retreat, adding warm comfort foods like soup, stews, and casseroles to our daily dinner routine just comes naturally.
Comfort food isn’t reserved for dinnertime alone. Breakfast is another perfect meal to serve up a little comfort food. A warm breakfast made from the heart will fuel your family throughout the morning, help them start their day off right, and create some fun family memories, too. Here are six Wild Blueberry comfort food breakfast recipes to add to your repertoire:
1. Wild Blueberry and Chocolate Skillet Pancakes. Prepared in a cast-iron skillet, these pancakes are not your average hotcakes; they are more like cake. Plus, they have a double whammy of mood-boosting goodness with Wild Blueberries and dark chocolate. Wild Blueberries are rich in anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid that gives these tiny, mighty berries their deep blue pigment. Science shows that anthocyanins are heart healthy and cancer preventative, and new research now adds mood-boosting to the list of benefits. Dark chocolate includes flavanols that boost mood by raising circling levels of serotonin – the “feel good” neurotransmitter. Send your family off with a smile after serving these delicious pancakes.
2. Belgian Waffle with Wild Blueberry Cream. If you’re craving waffles, take your waffle-making to the next level with this recipe that’s loaded with amazing deliciousness. Featuring made-from-scratch Belgian waffles topped with a creamy mascarpone Wild Blueberry spread that’s a lot like whipped cream. The wild berries add a beautiful color, intense flavor and the perfect amount of sweetness to the center filling. Sprinkle with homemade no-bake almond granola to add tasty texture, too.
3. Orange Pancakes with Wild Blueberry-Orange Sauce. Who doesn’t love pancakes? This delicious recipe will add refreshing flavor to plain pancakes. Made with fresh orange juice, orange zest and topped with a warm Wild Blueberry Orange sauce, the first bite will remind you of warm summer days. This recipe happens to be gluten-free, but you can easily substitute the gluten-free flour with a regular all-purpose one.
4. Wild Blueberry & Ricotta Stuffed French Toast Bake. Get ready to savor the day with this delicious, make-ahead Wild Blueberry Stuffed French Toast. It has the perfect amount of crunch on the outside and smooth texture on the inside. The Wild Blueberries take center stage when it comes to flavor, melting beautifully with the ricotta cheese to create a filling that has the perfect balance of sweetness, richness, and creaminess. The natural sweetness of the ricotta and Wild Blueberries reduces the need for added sugar. That said, don’t forget to add a drizzle of Wild Blueberry-infused maple syrup to make it extra special.
5. Wild Blueberry Cranberry and Almond Oatmeal. Oatmeal may be the quintessential breakfast comfort food. Enjoying that warm bowl of goodness is sure to transport you to winter days curled up by the fire. To make that bowl even more special try this recipe, which features quick cooking steel cut oats topped with warm Wild Blueberries, dried cranberries, slivered almonds, plus a drizzle of maple syrup. Just yum!
6. Wild Blueberry Baked Doughnuts. Doughnuts bring back special memories of childhood. They were a special treat on weekends when everyone fought over their favorite flavor. Instead of running to the store to buy doughnuts, try making them at home. These are baked so you’ll need a pair of standard doughnut baking pans, plus some frozen Wild Blueberries. Once you’re done whipping them up, glaze them, toss them in powdered sugar, or try brushing with warm butter and dipping them in cinnamon-sugar. Your guests will be asking for more.
Why do we love comfort foods? They provide emotional connection to memories of childhood and time spent together in the kitchen with family. So, be sure to take a few minutes to plan occasions when you can enjoy making special, warm, hearty breakfasts at home. Your family will thank you.