Panda Pancakes!

I've been seeing pictures floating around pinterest of some awesome pancake art. Most of them are from Jim's Pancakes - who has brought pancaking to an art form. Amazing stuff. Check it out if you are looking for awesome pancake inspiration!

I'd had the idea in my head to do panda pancakes for a while. I tried the "blob" technique where I just blobbed the batter onto the pan, and while it looked okay on the griddle:

It did not look so great when I took it off. So un-great in fact, there is not even photographic evidence of it's existence.

For my next attempt, I decided to try watered down batter in squeeze jars. These turned out much better:

Here is how I did it:

Step 1: Make the Batter
Make regular pancake batter and water it down to make it flow smoothly. For best results, beat with a an electric mixer to get every last lump out (I did not do this as first and the lumps frequently clogged my squeeze bottles). Split into 2 bowls and add cocoa power or chocolate syrup to one bowl for color.

Step 2: Prep the Bottles

I got this set of two bottles for $1 from Walmart. Pour the white batter into one and the chocolate batter into the other. You will also probably need to cut the tips to make the openings a little larger than the default super tiny hole used to regular ketchup flow.

Step 3: Let's make some pandas!

You'll want to crank the heat on your skillet up pretty high so that the batter cooks quickly and holds it shape after being squirted out. Use a pan that does not require grease, or a high heat tolerant fat like coconut oil.

Circle for the head:

Add ears:

Eye shadows:

Nose and Mouth (be careful on this part)

Fill in the Face. 

(be careful and don't squeeze too hard or you might get a panda zombie instead)

Cook until the tops start to dry and have lots of bubbles (as above). Flip and cook until done.

Step 4: Add your panda to the party

Other fun things you can do:

After making a plate full of pandas I decided to play around a bit and see what other fun pancakes I could make. 

I made some personalized pancakes:

And I made some alphabet pancakes (what a fun learning tool!)

Just keep in mind that the display side of your pancake is the one that goes against the griddle when you pour the batter. Meaning: everything is mirror image. So if you make something with letters make sure they are mirror image as you are pouring them so you don't end up with this:

FUN! I hope I inspired you to make breakfast a little bit more fun and educational.

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