A belated celebration: Chocolate chip pancakes

So yesterday was National Chocolate Cake Day, and somehow I missed the memo until mid-afternoon when it was too late and I was too busy to partake in the sugar-filled euphoria. Sad, I know. And I do so love a good holiday. Anyway, I spent the better half of yesterday thinking about cake (which is probably a tale for another time) and by nighttime had decided that it would probably suffice to celebrate in the morning with a modification on the holiday. And here’s what I came up with:

It’s chocolate chip pancakes! Get it? Chocolate chip pancakes? I know; it’s a bit of a stretch. But this is breakfast after all. Chocolate cake didn’t feel quite right to bake and consume in the a.m. For some reason chocolate chip pancakes, with all of their chocolate-cake-like qualities, feels much more acceptable. Chalk it up to mealtime labels, I suppose.

The recipe is a modification of a contribution from sweet enough on food52.com. I altered it slightly (added whole-wheat flour to make the texture slightly less cakey, upped the vanilla and used chocolate chips instead of caramelized apples). And I was really happy with how the basic pancake batter turned out. It’s light, moist and just sweet enough that there’s no need for syrup.

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Perfect Pancakes
Adapted from sweet enough, on food52.com

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (the original recipe calls for 2 cups all-purpose, no whole-wheat)
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup milk (the original recipe suggest whole, but I had 1 percent on hand)
• 3 tablespoons melted butter (plus more for the pan)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chocolate chips
• powdered sugar

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl, and set aside. Blend eggs, vanilla and milk with an electric mixer (or whisk by hand) on high speed until liquid appears frothy. Add dry mixture, and mix on lowest speed until large lumps disappear. Gently blend in 3 tablespoons melted butter (be careful not to over mix).

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. When pan is hot (super hot!), ladle pancakes into pan (as many as you can fit without overcrowding). [Note: You can also do this on a griddle; same rules apply.] Sprinkle a few chocolate chips in each pancake. When bubbles begin to form and the edges start to harden, flip pancakes over, and cook for a few minutes on the other side. Serve with butter and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

[Note: Be sure to check out the original recipe on food52.com. Sweet enough uses caramelized Granny Smith apples in the batter in lieu of the chocolate chips, which sounds pretty amazing.]

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I’m usually pretty low-key when it comes to my breakfast choices, so this pancake occasion definitely feels pretty special. And it’s one of those things that I bet kiddos would love. Chocolate for breakfast? Nice.

Did any of you celebrate National Chocolate Cake Day this year by baking up something amazing? Or do you have any favorite chocolate-for-breakfast recipes that you pull out for special occasions? Share the sweets, pals!

XO,
Katrina

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