"Fancy" pancakes (from a mix).

[0jack]

Pancakes aren't always as simple as they look. The keys to doing them well include a nicely-heated pan (water droplets should bead and scuttle around, not puddle or disappear in a puff of steam) with a thin layer of something like canola oil (I use a paper towel to smooth this around and keep a thin coat). My family loves pancakes, and here is a very simple way to take PC (just-add-water) Extra Fluffy & Complete mix and turn it into something "GOORMAY".

For a hungry teen and her dad, I used 1.5c mix and 1c. water. To that, I added:

2 blocks (2oz) bittersweet chocolate, chopped very fine -- just go at it with a big chopping knife like you're slicing thin slices off a teeny loaf of chocolate. It should fall apart nicely. If not, chop-chop-chop with the blade in a rocking motion.
1t cinnamon (the family likes this, but you could use less or leave it out if you dislike it)
1t vanilla extract (to compete with the cinnamon, halve if you don't use the cinnamon and you don't want to taste it strongly)

I cooked these 3 at a time on a cast iron pan and it made 11 decent-sized pancakes (if I'd had a steadier hand and hadn't slopped some big, it would have been an even 12).

The syrup was:
1 block bittersweet chocolate chopped fine and added to...
1/2c table syrup (they eat so much of this, we can't afford to use the real stuff) heated in the microwave
...then stirred until blended. If you have to re-heat this, use a low heat. Kiddo said she could happily eat the syrup straight (or on toast or ice cream).

The results?

Comments

[aedifica]

This being the boilingwater community, I'd like to add this about pancakes because it was such a surprise when I finally learned it, and so there must be other people who don't know it yet. The key to having pancakes that are cooked through and not still soggy in the middle is this: don't turn them over to do the second side until after there are air bubbles coming up in the middle of the pancake leaving little tunnels up from the bottom.

[0jack]

Yes, excellent point! Pancakes should have bubbles that burst and leave holes that don't close, or close very slowly, before they're flipped. It is kind of weirdly magical how perfectly they come out once you learn the signs for your favourite recipe.

I just wanted to post this because it's an example of how you can take a just-add-water mix and, without too much fanfare, make it into something different. I used to live on pancakes in college. And, unlike some other chocolate-chip pancakes I make, the finely chopped chocolate in these doesn't tend to stick to the pan, sink to the bottom, or otherwise make life tricky.

[jd]

I've had mixed success with this; if the batter is really really thick, you won't get any air bubbles. (I had this when I tried a recipe for pancakes with peach bits in them.)