What is more festive during the holiday season than these Christmas Pancakes packed with mountains of cheer and joy in the form of sprinkles and white chocolate morsels!?
Uncka grew up in a very festive household and he is ready to share all the love for Christmas with little G too! These make a quick, easy, and ultra-festive addition to the holiday breakfast table. Make them Christmas Day or just about any day during the season for Yule Tide fun!
We pumped up our classic Fluffy Pancakes with some seasonal jimmy sprinkles and festive mini chocolate chips too.
If you love to add some cheer to your holiday breakfasts, we love these Reindeer Pancakes too! Also, be sure to always serve them with WARM maple syrup, the real kind!
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Ingredients
Mixing up a batch of Christmas Pancakes uses simple ingredients that any well-stocked baking pantry will have around.
As I mentioned earlier, this recipe is based on our base pancake recipe, just made festive with the addition of Christmas sprinkles and chocolate chips, and topped with some spray whipped cream!
What you need:
- Unsalted Butter
- Whole Milk
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt, Morton’s
- Eggs
- Mini Festive White Chocolate Chips
- Christmas Sprinkles
- Spray Whipped Cream
- Whipped Irish Butter
- Maple Syrup
See the recipe card for full quantities.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions.
Method
To make the pancake batter, start by melting the butter in a saucepan over low heat on the stove. When it is fully melted, add the milk to the pan and just continue warming until no lumps of butter remain, do not simmer or boil the mixture.
When adding cold milk it can make the butter lump up, just warm it enough that the butter becomes or stays liquid.
In a large bowl, stir the dry ingredients together with the milk/butter mixture until well combined. Then fold the eggs into the mix just until fully incorporated.
Let the batter rest for 10 minutes before you begin cooking the pancakes. This is the secret to extra fluffy, cloud-like pancakes.
Fold in the sprinkles and chocolate chips just before you cook the pancakes. Do this very gently so you don't make the batter gummy, but the sprinkles will bleed into the batter and change it's color, this is why you wait till just before cooking to add them.
To cook the pancakes, heat a griddle over medium heat on the stove, and be patient. Heat it for at least 5 minutes to get fully warm.
Then drop 2-ounce ladles of batter on the hot griddle and cook till it gets very bubbly and the bubbles begin to pop. Flip and cook 30-45 seconds longer till fully cooked.
Uncka's Chef Tip
Stack the cooked pancakes up to ensure they finish cooking, the same way you'd stack tortillas and put them in a warmer or cloth to finish. Pancakes finish cooking all the way through in the same way as well as keeping the first cakes warm as you cook the rest. This ensures not wet or soggy middles.
To serve, stack some Christmas Pancakes high spread some butter between them if desired, and top with some spray whipped cream, and more Christmas sprinkles! Finish with a hearty drizzle of REAL maple syrup as desired.
Substitutions
Let's chat about how to make these pancakes gluten, or dairy-free if you or someone you love needs to follow those dietary guidelines for their health.
- Flour - If you need to make these pancakes gluten-free, use a quality cup-for-cup flour swap. The one I linked here is really high quality and has great results.
- Milk - If you are dairy-free, you can use almond milk, but my suggestion is cashew for its higher fat content. Pancakes may stick a bit when using almond milk, and you may need to grease the griddle or pan more often during the cooking of your pancakes.
- Butter - You can use a vegan butter substitute or plant-based butter. A bit of a more economical swap is vegetable or canola oil.
- White Chocolate Chips - If you are dairy-free, you can just use sprinkles. Or swap the Christmas morsels for these dairy-free white chocolate chips.
Equipment
These are my favorite little skillets for making pancake toppings and syrups. You can also toast nuts for use in them too.
My number one, most favorite tool for perfect pancakes is a Cast-Iron griddle. They build up a strong, natural, non-stick coating over time and make for BEAUTIFUL pancakes.
Be sure to season a new griddle, every time you use and wash it (with soap) with this cast-iron oil to build THE BEST non-stick surface.
I like a really sturdy, metal spatula for flipping pancakes. It helps them not stick to it, and makes for a perfect flip, no floppy half-turned pancakes, It's got to be THIS spatula for me!
The use of a 2-ounce ladle makes THE perfect-sized pancakes, in my opinion. They are just the right size and easy to flip.
Storage
While pancakes won't spoil if left on the counter overnight, they are just like a cake, biscuit, or cookie in this way. I prefer to place them in a zip-top bag or air-tight container in the fridge.
You can also freeze pancakes. To do so, lay them flat on a tray, not stacked, then once frozen place them in a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months.
Reheat leftover Christmas pancakes, from the fridge or freezer, in a toaster, or toaster oven for best results. They can also be gently warmed in the microwave.
Top Tips
Do not mix in the sprinkles or chocolate chips until just before you are ready to cook the pancakes. The sprinkles will release their color in the batter as it sits and make it muddy looking. Gently fold them in just before cooking.
When making the pancake batter, ensuring it rests for 10 minutes is a HUGE gateway to SUPER FLUFFY pancakes. This allows the leavening agent to fully develop and lets the gluten strands in the flour relax.
Exercise patience and let the griddle get really warm before you start cooking. A griddle that is too cool will cause the pancakes to stick to it. I use a really Well-Seasoned cast iron griddle that requires no buttering due to the amount in the actual pancakes.
If you can use a small amount of high-heat oil like vegetable or grapeseed to grease your griddle if needed. You should only need to do this once before you start cooking. Use a paper towel to spread an even and thin layer over your griddle.
I prefer to cook on medium, to just under medium heat so my pancakes can cook quickly. I also prefer only to cook 2 pancakes at a time so I have plenty of room to flip.
Be sure to stack your pancakes after cooking. This allows them to stay soft as well as allowing the middles to finish cooking while also staying a little JAMMY SOFT. That's what I call it anyway. It helps create super tender pancakes.
FAQ
YES! Allowing it to rest lets all of the leveners become active giving them great lift. It also allows the flour to fully absorb the liquid and tighten up the batter which also helps make them fluffy.
Ensure all of your ingredients are fresh, especially the baking soda and powder. Use buttermilk when you can, it gives extra lift. And be sure not to over-mix the batter, this is why you see many recipes say some lumps are ok, pancake batter can get gummy if over-mixed.
Adding butter to the pan when cooking the pancakes will give extra rich flavor, but using a high smoke point oil like avocado or coconut will give the pancakes more even browning. If using a well-seasoned or nonstick skillet, no fat is really needed with this recipe, because it is made with so much real butter in the batter.
Related
If you LOVE pancakes like Greyson and me, try these other great recipes:
More great breakfast recipes to LOVE!
Who doesn't love a festive treat at the holidays? Uncka has made an at-home version of the Starbucks Sugar Plum Cheese Danish and it is as good as these pancakes!
If you need a decadent and delicious cookie to add to your holiday baking lineup, try these Pistachio Nutella Sandwich Cookies for an amazing addition to your cookie trays!
Christmas Pancakes
What is more festive during the holiday season than these Christmas Pancakes packed with mountains of cheer and joy!?
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1 ½ cups Whole Milk
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, Morton’s
- 2 lg Eggs, lightly beaten
- Mini Festive White Chocolate Chips
- Christmas Sprinkles
- Spray Whipped Cream
- Whipped Irish Butter, for serving
- Maple Syrup, for serving
Instructions
- In a 2-quart saucepan on the stove, melt the butter over low heat. Add the milk to the pan and heat just till warm and any butter that solidified is liquid again. Do not boil. Let cool for 5 minutes, then stir the vanilla and almond extract into the milk mixture.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.
- Slowly whisk the warm milk mixture into the flour mixture, just till a lumpy mixture forms.
- Crack the eggs into the bowl and whisk just till incorporated.
- Let the pancake batter rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
- After the batter has rested for 5 minutes, warm the griddle on the stove, over medium-heat I suggest a cast iron griddle. It is important to let it get hot till it begins to smoke the tiniest bit, then you know it is ready to be cooked on.
- Turn the heat down two marks on the stove dial, just between medium, and medium-low.
- Just before cooking, fold in some chocolate chips and sprinkles, and measure with your heart adding as many or as few as desired, reserving some for topping the pancakes with too.
- Using a 2-ounce ladle, drop 2 rounds of batter on the griddle at a time. Cook for 30-45 seconds, just till the edges begin to set.
- Flip and cook a further 45-60 seconds, then remove to a platter.
- Pancakes can be kept warm in a 200˚F oven if needed.
- To make whipped Irish butter, beat 4 tablespoons in the bowl of a stand mixer, I like to use my flex edge flat beater it gets the butter extra fluffy, and beat for 3-4 minutes on medium-high, with a pinch of kosher salt.
- Serve the pancakes with a spread of butter between them, a generous spray of whipped cream, more sprinkles, and warm maple syrup, the real kind!
Notes
Substitutions
Let's chat about how to make these pancakes gluten, or dairy-free if you or someone you love needs to follow those dietary guidelines for their health.
- Flour - If you need to make these banana pancakes gluten-free, use a quality cup-for-cup flour swap. The one I linked here is really high quality and has great results.
- Milk - If you are dairy-free, you can use almond milk, but my suggestion is cashew for its higher fat content. Pancakes may stick a bit when using almond milk, and you may need to grease the griddle or pan more often during the cooking of your pancakes.
- Butter - You can use a vegan butter substitute or plant-based butter. A bit of a more economical swap is vegetable or canola oil.
- White Chocolate Chips - If you are dairy-free, you can just use sprinkles. Or swap the Christmas morsels for these dairy-free white chocolate chips.
Top Tips
Do not mix in the sprinkles or chocolate chips until just before you are ready to cook the pancakes. The sprinkles will release their color in the batter as it sits and make it muddy looking. Gently fold them in just before cooking.
When making the pancake batter, ensuring it rests for 10 minutes is a HUGE gateway to SUPER FLUFFY pancakes. This allows the leavening agent to fully develop and lets the gluten strands in the flour relax.
Exercise patience and let the griddle get really warm before you start cooking. A griddle that is too cool will cause the pancakes to stick to it. I use a really Well-Seasoned cast iron griddle that requires no buttering due to the amount in the actual pancakes.
If you can use a small amount of high-heat oil like vegetable or grapeseed to grease your griddle if needed. You should only need to do this once before you start cooking. Use a paper towel to spread an even and thin layer over your griddle.
I prefer to cook on medium, to just under medium heat so my pancakes can cook quickly. I also prefer only to cook 2 pancakes at a time so I have plenty of room to flip.
Be sure to stack your pancakes after cooking. This allows them to stay soft as well as allowing the middles to finish cooking while also staying a little JAMMY SOFT. That's what I call it anyway. It helps create super tender pancakes.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Christmas Sprinkles - 1 Pound - Holiday Xmas Jimmies - Red, White & Green Jimmies for Baking - Bulk Sprinkle Toppings for Cookies, Cakes, Cupcakes, and More! -
Jingle Mix Candy Coated Chocolate Chips, Bulk Size (1 lb. Resealable Zip Lock Stand Up Bag) -
Tribeca Curations | White Chocolate Mini Baking Chips, Allergen Free, School Approved | 9 Ounce | Value Pack of 3
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 446Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 716mgCarbohydrates: 65gFiber: 1gSugar: 37gProtein: 7g
Food Safety
There aren't many concerns when it comes to pancakes, but here are a few tips to help ensure the best experience with your pancakes.
- Ensure your pancakes are fully cooked, as eating raw pancake batter is not advised because it contains raw eggs.
- The USDA advises to not leave cooked foods at room temperature for longer than 2 hours, 1 hour if the environment is above 90˚F.
- That said, pancakes contain the same ingredients as cakes, biscuits, and cookies so they can be stored at room temperature.
- I personally advise keeping them in an air-tight container or zip-top bag and warming them in a toaster or microwave before eating leftovers.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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