Pancakes have been around for a very long time! Did you know that the first recorded mention of warm pancakes dates to 600 BC, as described by a poet in Ancient Greece? By 1100 AD, Shrove Tuesday became a traditional way to use up dairy products before lent; thus, “Pancake Day” led to the birth of the breakfast pancake. Over time, pancake recipes were refined and improved. And by the 1880s, the addition of pancake syrup became popular. Today, Americans have a love affair with pancakes, and they are especially wonderful for holiday breakfasts or brunch. Plain ones can be turned into Santa’s faces using whipped topping for the beard, blueberries for the eyes, and red berries for Santa’s cap – with dollops of whipped topping serving as Santa’s cap rim and pom-pom. It’s also fun to arrange one small, medium-sized, and large pancake on a plate to look like a snowman. Then use berries to create his face and buttons. To really spice up the holidays, one may add dashes of a few favorite seasonal spices to regular pancake batter or enjoy our delicious holiday pancake recipe below:
Amac’s holiday spice pancake recipe:
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ Tbsp cinnamon sugar mix
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 egg
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 cup milk
In a big bowl, whisk together the first four ingredients. Add in the dry spices. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg, vanilla, and molasses until smooth. Whisk the milk into the wet ingredients until incorporated. Then, gently add the molasses mixture to the dry ingredients and mix by hand until ingredients are just combined (small lumps are okay). Heat your griddle over medium heat and add some butter. Add about ¼ cup batter to the heated griddle to form each pancake. Since these pancakes can burn easily, lower your heat if needed and watch carefully. Cook each pancake on the first side until bubbles appear on the surface and the edges are golden brown, about two minutes. Flip and cook on the reverse side for about another two minutes. Enjoy with hot maple syrup, a dollop of whipped topping, and some fresh berries.