Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a mini muffin pan with butter or line with muffin liners. If you're going to serve the muffins like pancakes (dipping them in syrup), I recommend skipping the liners. If you prefer more of a muffin, liners work. You could also use a standard-size muffin tin, but you’ll need to double the baking time to compensate for the increased size.

Step 2

Add the lemon juice to a large measuring cup or bowl and top off with 1 cup of milk. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Step 3

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, add the sifted flour (to sift the flour, add the flour to a large sieve and then gently shake into the bowl), baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

Step 4

Add the remaining wet ingredients to the milk: egg, maple syrup, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Whisk together.

Step 5

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Some lumps are okay, but for the most part the batter should be smooth. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes to thicken just a bit.

Step 6

Fill the mini muffin pan (each cavity) about ⅔ of the way with batter. (You will not use all the batter right now.) If desired, press chocolate chips, chopped blueberries, or other favorite pancake mix-ins into individual muffins. Since these are mini muffins, don't add too many mix-in ingredients to one muffin.

Step 7

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until they look and feel “set.” They will not be browned. They should have a yellow, golden hue.

Step 8

Let the pancake muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool. Bake the remaining batter.

Step 9

Serve with maple syrup for dipping, if desired.

Step 10

The muffins freeze well and pack well for school lunches. To freeze, wait until the muffins are fully cool. Then add the muffins to a freezer bag or container and freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost the muffins at room temperature or in the microwave for just a few seconds.