Need a festive breakfast for the upcoming long weekend? Check out this award-winning pancake recipe from the Cocoa Cottage Bed and Breakfast in Whitehall, Michigan.

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for griddle
2 cups fresh Michigan blueberries
2 pints fresh strawberries
1 cup heavy cream

Cut strawberries into bite-size pieces. Fresh seasonal berries don’t need extra sweetening, but if sweeter berries are desired, sprinkle with superfine sugar to taste. Set aside.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix together sour cream and buttermilk. To the buttermilk mixture, add eggs and melted butter, mix well. Pour wet mixture on top of dry ingredients. Gently fold together until just wet. Gently fold in blueberries.

Do not over mix! Allow batter to set for at least 5 minutes. This allows the leavening agents to go to work, creating thicker, but lighter pancakes! While batter is resting, preheat and lightly butter your griddle. Too much butter results in greasy, fried edges. Just butter lightly and wipe with a paper towel to evenly distribute butter over the entire griddle.

Place cold heavy whipping cream in a chilled bowl. Whip on high with a whisk attachment until the cream forms thick whipped peaks. Spoon into pastry bag. Set aside. (A high-quality canned pure whipping cream will work just fine.)

Gently ladle the batter onto the hot griddle forming 4-5 pancakes. Try to make your cakes uniform in size. Using a pancake ladle is best. Watch for bubbles to form in the pancake, and when the griddle-side of the pancake is golden brown, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately, or hold in a warm place no longer than 20 to 30 minutes.

Place 2-3 pancakes on plate, gently overlapping to form a triangle. Spoon strawberries over hot pancakes and top with whipped cream piped into a star shape to complete the red, white and blue patriotic theme!

Yield: 12 pancakes