This week at preschool my son has been learning about the gingerbread man. It seemed only fitting that we make some gingerbread pancakes and build the excitement and anticipation for Christmas. I can see myself devouring these on Christmas morning in front of the fireplace. They are delicious, seasonal, and guess what? It only took me 15 minutes to make the pancakes and the syrup. Seriously! I don't know about you, but 15 minutes sounds like an almost perfect Christmas breakfast.
Ingredients
Pancakes
1/2 cup butter
1 cup molasses
1 egg
1 1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
Syrup
4 tsp cornstarch
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
Instructions
1. Using a hand mixer, whip the butter in a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix in the molasses, egg, and milk until well combined.
3. Add in the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon and ginger and mix until well combined. The batter should be pour-able, but not thin.
4. Heat a non-stick griddle to medium high heat.
5. Meanwhile, combine cornstarch, brown sugar, and water in a medium saucepan. Heat to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking often. When the mixture boils, remove it from the heat and add in the butter and pecans, stirring until the butter melts.
6. Cook your pancakes on the griddle by scooping 1/4 cup of the batter onto the griddle. Flip the pancake over when bubbles appear. The pancakes is done when it is lightly browned on both sides and cooked through.
7. Serve with the hot butter pecan syrup.
1. Pancakes are ready to be flipped when bubbles form, and the edges are getting cooked.
2. Always do a test pancake or two so that you can check adjust the temperature on your griddle. It's better to waste one or two than a whole batch.
3. Don't press them with your spatula. It doesn't help them cook any faster and makes them lose fluffiness.
4. Once cooked, don't stack your pancakes. All of the steam from the hot cakes will make them all soggy. Hold them in a single layer on a baking pan in the oven (warmed to the lowest temperature setting, mine is 175).
5. Pancake batter can be frozen and taken out to thaw when ready to use. Freeze it in a ziplock bag and you can just cut off the tip and squeeze out the batter. Just take a bag out of the freezer and put it in the fridge the night before you want your pancakes.
