What Rosa Parks Ate: Peanut Butter Pancakes. Learn to make Rosa Parks’ Featherlite Peanut Butter Pancakes with this vintage recipe and step-by-step photos.
February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate the past and present achievements of African Americans. Today, I want to celebrate the memory of a woman who courageously helped to change our nation and make it a better, more equal place– Rosa Parks.
On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus. Her refusal was the spark that lit a firestorm of change. It resulted in the Montgomery bus boycott, a controversial protest which lasted a year and ended when segregation on buses was deemed unconstitutional. The civil rights movement rapidly became a subject of national attention, and Rosa became a central figure in the struggle for equality in America.
From Rosa’s autobiography, “Rosa Parks – My Story”:
People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.
Rosa Parks with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (ca. 1955) Source: Wikimedia Commons
Many people don’t realize that Rosa was not the first one to take a stand by keeping her seat. Before Rosa, there was 15 year-old Claudette Colvin. In Montgomery, Alabama on March 2, 1955, Claudette refused to give up her seat for a white woman. She was inspired by her high school studies at the time; she’d been learning about Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and other important black leaders who had made strides for equality. When faced with the choice of giving up her seat, Claudette’s conscience simply wouldn’t let her do it. She was arrested for her peaceful act of protest.
The NAACP took note of Claudette’s act. Black civic leaders had been looking for a way to protest the Montgomery bus situation for years, and they were impressed by Claudette’s act of rebellion. However, they felt that Claudette might be too young and unreliable to be the face of this protest. As Secretary of the NAACP and a respected figure, Rosa Parks was chosen to be the figurehead of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Her act was directly inspired by Claudette’s act, which happened nine months prior. Just thought I’d share that interesting, little-known tidbit of history!
Last year, a cache of personal papers, photographs and memorabilia was discovered in the Detroit house where Rosa spent the last years of her life. A New York auction house called Guernsey’s was selected to represent the archive and find it a permanent home. Here is a description of some of the items they found:
The Rosa Parks Archive consists of thousands of items of virtually every description. Her countless awards range from the most significant to the most charming, the latter presented to Mrs. Parks by many of our nation’s school children. One section of her library contains volumes inscribed to her by such noteworthy figures as Dr. Martin Luther King and President Clinton while another section contains somewhat worn text books with Rosa Parks’ own name written in pencil from her childhood days at the Industrial School for Girls in Montgomery. The archive reflects Mrs. Park’s day-to-day life with personal items ranging from her wardrobe, her eyeglasses, her driver’s license, her address book, and her Bible. The archive contains a well-traveled suitcase filled with assorted fabrics from Rosa’s days in Montgomery as a seamstress.
Among her personal papers a recipe was found, scribbled on the back of an envelope, for “Featherlite Pancakes.” While we can’t be 100% sure that Rosa used this recipe, it seems quite probable that she did, given that it was found within her personal items and written in her own handwriting.
Here is the recipe as it appears on the envelope:
Featherlite Pancakes
Sift together
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
Mix
1 egg
1 1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon shortening, melted, or oil
Combine with dry ingredients
Cook at 275 degrees F on griddle
The recipe is fairly self explanatory as written; I have provided a few detailed cooking instructions for clarity below. I made the assumption that smooth peanut butter should be used, because of the fact that Rosa called these pancakes “featherlite”– I’m guessing a pancake that is “light as a feather” isn’t supposed to crunch. I used smooth peanut butter, and the pancakes turned out very light indeed.
I will say that after making these pancakes a few times, I have decreased the amount of baking powder that is required by quite a bit. Using 2 teaspoons is more than enough to make these pancakes “feather light.” In some batches, you may need a bit more milk than is called for – pancakes aren’t an exact science. You want the batter thick, but pourable. Finally, I like to use ghee (clarified butter) to grease the pan – it’s got a very high smoke point and adds a nice flavor. Avocado oil is my second choice.
They are truly delightful, with a wonderful texture and a mouth-watering peanut butter flavor. In fact, my stepdaughter has decided that this is now her favorite pancake recipe– and she’s a picky eater! They’re really tasty.
February 4 is Rosa Parks’ birthday. Cook these pancakes as a way to honor Rosa’s memory… and Claudette’s! May their courage be an inspiration to us all.
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Rosa Parks' Featherlite Peanut Butter Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (Rosa's original recipe uses 2 tablespoons, but you really only need 2 teaspoons)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/4 cups milk (or more as needed)
- 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil (Rosa's original recipe uses vegetable oil or melted vegetable shortening. I prefer ghee - clarified butter - or avocado oil for greasing the pan, but any of these options will work.)
NOTES
Instructions
- Sift together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- Mix together wet ingredients (minus the oil) with a fork till smooth: egg, milk, peanut butter.
- Add dry ingredients to wet, mixing lightly-- do not overmix, or pancakes will turn out heavy and dense. A few lumps are okay. If the mixture seems overly thick, go ahead and stir in a little more milk until the batter is thick but pourable.
- Grease your skillet or griddle with oil or shortening (I typically use ghee, which is basically clarified butter). Heat skillet over medium (or heat electric griddle to 275 degrees F). Test heat by flinging a droplet of water onto the surface of the skillet-- it should sizzle and evaporate, but not pop or crackle.
- Pour the batter by scant 1/4 cupfuls to form pancakes on the hot skillet.
- Let the pancakes cook for 1-2 minutes until bubbles rise to the surface of the batter and burst.
- When the pancakes turn golden brown on the bottom, flip them. Let the pancakes continue to cook for 1-2 minutes longer until golden brown on both sides and cooked all the way through. Re-grease the skillet periodically between batches, if needed.Serve pancakes immediately. To keep the pancakes warm while you're cooking, place them on a plate covered by a towel in a 175 degree oven. Use an oven mitt when removing the plate from the oven, it will be hot!
- Serve warm with butter and maple syrup. Delish! One important note -- if serving guests that you don't know very well, make sure you let them know in advance that these pancakes contain peanut butter. Some people have peanut allergies, so hidden peanut butter can be very dangerous. Cook with care!
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Research Sources:
Parks, Rosa (1999). Rosa Parks, My Story. Puffin Books, Reprint Edition, New York, NY.
Before Rosa Parks, A Teenager Defied Segregation on an Alabama Bus. Sarah Kate Kramer, NPR Radio Diaries, March 2 2015.
Just tried them today and they were amazing! I used fat-free milk instead of whole, and I also added a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Definitely something I’ll make again!
“Featherlite” indeed. These are very airy and have a delightful but not overwhelming taste if peanut butter. As pointed out, the liquid required may vary and mine turned out a bit too runny – this is easily remedied by adjusting the milk. Otherwise excellent recipe!
amazing, I like how she gave a tip at the end it helped me
The flavor was nice and peanut buttery.
The batter was runny and they stuck to the pan. Disappointed.
Sorry to hear that! We’ve never had that issue.
Can I Check this is 2 tablespoons baking powder??? Made today according to recipe and they were not a success…..
The original recipe calls for 2 tablespoons, yes – though I think you could make it with just one or two teaspoons.
This is the only recipe I use for pancakes. I wanted a pancake for my son that provides protein as well as good flavor. I make them half dollar size and freeze a batch for the week. He loves them and I love making them. No reason to add something else to the recipe, it’s perfect as is.
Great recipe!! Thank you so much. I added peanut butter and nutella to equal the 1/3 cup then I mixed it with powder sugar. I added egg yolks and whipped egg white separate. I folded the egg white in at the end and they came out super fluffy. I also added chocolate chips and salted caramel swirl while cooking! A lot, I know, but this was a great foundation for inspiration.
These are great if you don’t want something too sweet. Overall pretty great. Make sure you don’t make them too dense, like she noted!
I made these today and they were delicious!! I had to improvise a bit after realizing we were out of peanut butter so I used powdered peanut butter (reconstituted with water) and added 1-2tsp of oil to the batter. *BONUS A low-fat alternative!! The texture was wonderful and the flavor was almost too peanut-buttery (next time I’ll use 1 Tbs less peanut butter powder). Thank you for the great recipe!
Great tip Tammy, thanks for sharing!
I am making these pancakes for my little one who is 18 months old and not eating too much. Can I freeze the rest of the dough?
Hi Raluca, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. I would suggest making pancakes with all of the batter and then freezing the cooked pancakes.
Hi, i will try this tonight. Sounds Great.
Especially today — Jan 24 2018 — is National Peanut Butter Day.
Thank you for recipe.
Greetings Tori,
What a wonderful post. Thank you for sharing this! I am really looking forward to trying this recipe and tasting it with my mother. Unfortunately, many of the original photo images are missing from this page – is it possible to fix that?
Hi Gayle! Thank you for pointing that out. The images should be fixed now.
Thought 2 tbs was a lot of baking power so I used 1tbs and they were scrumptious and still super fluffy 🙂
I used the full amount listed and they nearly burned my mouth they were so salty. 🙁
Sorry to hear that! We’ve made it many times as written with no issues. Are you sure you didn’t use baking soda? The recipe calls for baking powder. Baking soda would certainly give an off flavor. You can certainly cut back on the baking powder if you like, it won’t harm the end result.
If using sel rising flour instead of all purpose with other specified dry ingredients can cause the batter to be too salty.
Good point Ann!
My husband loves pancakes. Me not so much, so I don’t make them as much as he would like. Since we both love peanut butter, I decided to try this recipe and am truly amazed at how delicious they were! Truly “featherlite”! I am a new pancake fan and this is going straight into my “A+” recipe file. Thanks for posting this wonderful recipe!
Update to my post of August 6, 2017
I used a different brand of baking powder and it was too prominent. I agree with Donna Z., that Rumford Baking Powder is the best. Also, since we both LOVE peanut butter, I made a topping of Crunchy Peanut Butter, melted butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Yes, more calories, but it was a treat!
Very nice taste. Light just as advertised. Peanut butter taste is subtle and not overwhelming. Goes well with jam on top!
I found the batter much too thick following the recipe and added in more milk to reach my preferred consistency. That might just be my preference though.
My kids loved these (3 and 4)