If you like a little extra spice with your Christmas breakfast, reach for this Gingerbread Pancakes recipe. They are so festive and full of flavor while still light and airy. Because no one likes a dense stodgy pancake.
To my surprise, Greyson gobbled these up. He loved the rich flavor of them and even asked for seconds. Uncka exercised some patience and cooked him a couple in the cookie cutter to make the shaped pancakes super fun. I think that helped him to really enjoy them even more!
I like to use a cookie cutter like THIS ONE that has a rubber grip on it. You can spray it really well with cooking spray and place it right on a griddle over low heat. Cook the pancake batter right in the cutter and you get a perfect shape!
If you love to add some cheer to your holiday breakfasts, we love these Christmas Pancakes too! Also, be sure to always serve them with WARM maple syrup, the real kind!
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Ingredients
Whipping up a batch of these Gingerbread pancakes is just as easy as making one of our traditional pancake recipes. We just spice them up with some extra cinnamon, ginger, and cloves to give that nostalgic gingerbread flavor.
You will also use some molasses to solidify that flavor and really keep them true to form. The brown sugar will also help there too, but if you don't have it you can just use regular sugar and the molasses will carry that flavor.
What you need:
- Unsalted Butter
- Whole Milk
- Molasses
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Brown Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt
- Cloves
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Eggs
- 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, first melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat on the stove. When it is fully liquid, 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.
I forgot the picture, but the molasses will turn the batter a dark brown color, and smell beautifully spicy!
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.
If you have the patience for it, you can use a large cookie cutter and cook the pancake batter right in it, after coating it well with butter or pan spray.
If the patience isn't there for cooking in the cutter, you can use it just like a cookie cutter and cut out gingerbread people. Just be sure to make some extra large pancakes so it is easy to cut them out. I do a ladle and a half so they are BIG.
They are also just as delicious as round pancakes drizzled with maple syrup!
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 Gingerbread pancakes high and spread some butter between them if desired and a nice pat on top. 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.
- Molasses - Some great swaps for molasses are dark corn syrup, black treacle, Sorghum syrup, or in a pinch you can use honey.
- Brown Sugar - You can use light or dark brown sugar for this recipe, it really doesn't matter. Dark will just bring a bit more rich flavor. If you don't have either, you can use regular granulated sugar, and the molasses will carry enough flavor.
Equipment
If you want to make the pancakes in the shape of gingerbread people, use THIS CUTTER for the best results. Also, be sure to coat it really well with butter or cooking spray.
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 gingerbread 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
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
The secret to fluffy restaurant-style pancakes is using BUTTERMILK! The acid in the buttermilk reacts to the leavening agents in the pancake batter. This creates air bubbles and pockets that make the pancakes tall and fluffy. You can swap whole milk for buttermilk in ANY of our recipes for extra lift.
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.
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 Gingerbread recipes to LOVE!
If you like to go the extra mile, make your own gingerbread spice and swap it for the spice blend that this recipe calls for.
And if gingerbread is your jam, and you love all those warm flavors, especially at Christmas time, make these Gingerbread Oatmeal Cream Pies that Uncka whipped up.
Gingerbread Pancakes
If you like a little extra spice with your Christmas breakfast, reach for this Gingerbread Pancakes recipe.
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1 cups Whole Milk
- ⅓ cup Molasses
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, Morton’s
- 1 teaspoon ground Cloves
- 2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground Ginger
- 2 lg Eggs, lightly beaten
- 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 extract and molasses into the milk mixture.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. Along with the cloves, cinnamon, and ginger.
- 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.
- 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.
- To make these even more festive or for children, you can use a gingerbread person cookie cutter and cut people out of larger pancakes, do a ladle and a half size to make them big enough for a large cookie cutter. If you feel really ambitious and have the patience, you can put the cookie cutter on your griddle, spray it generously with cooking spray, and add batter to the middle of the cut-out. Cook on low until the batter is mostly set and shows no wobble when you jiggle the cutter. Release the cookie cutter and flip the pancake to ensure it is fully cooked. It takes time, but is super cute!
- Serve the pancakes with a dollop of butter on top 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.
- Molasses - Some great swaps for molasses are dark corn syrup, black treacle, Sorghum syrup, or in a pinch you can use honey.
- Brown Sugar - You can use light or dark brown sugar for this recipe, it really doesn't matter. Dark will just bring a bit more rich flavor. If you don't have either, you can use regular granulated sugar, and the molasses will carry enough flavor.
Top Tips
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.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 445Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 712mgCarbohydrates: 71gFiber: 1gSugar: 43gProtein: 6g
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.
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