Here Are 5 Creative Ways Of Incorporating Chocolate Into Your Everyday Pancakes

Decadence, here we come! Pancakes are great but once you add chocolate to them, they’re better. Here are the most creative ways of adding chocolate to your pancakes.

With their lovable fluffy texture and goldenish appearance, pancakes are a beloved breakfast classic. When combined with the classic chocolate flavor, they become a decadent treat for kids and adults alike. There’s a variety of ways of incorporating chocolate into pancakes, and the process of cooking it is sure to be a fun and an exciting culinary adventure for curious bakers across age groups. Whether you choose to fold in chocolate chips, create marbled patterns, stuff your pancakes, or drizzle them with luxurious chocolate toppings, your pancakes will become a canvas for chocolatey creativity. Here’s a few ideas for the next free Sunday morning so you can indulge away!

First, here’s a basic pancake recipe to create the perfectly fluffy and yummy base for your delicacy.

Ingredients:

• - 1 cup all-purpose flour
• - 2 tbsp sugar
• - 2 tsp baking powder
• - ½ tsp salt
• - 1 cup milk
• - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• - 1 large egg
• - 1 tbsp vegetable oil

And if you’d prefer a healthier option, here’s a recipe of oats pancakes, to balance out the chocolate.

Ingredients:

• - 2 cups oats
• - 1 cup water
• - 1 medium ripe banana, sliced
• - 2 large eggs
• - 2 tbsp maple syrup
• - 2 tbsp melted butter, plus more for cooking
• - 2½ tsp baking powder
• - 1 tsp vanilla extract
• - ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• - ½ tsp salt, or as per taste

And here are a variety of ways of including chocolate into these simple pancake recipes:

1. The Classic Chocolate Chip Pancakes

There’s no skipping the classics. When you talk about pancakes, you have to talk about choco chip pancakes. Let the chips sit out at room temperature so they're not frozen right before cooking. And then, it’s as simple as adding chocolate chips into your batter. You can choose between dark, milk, white chocolate, or a mixture of your favorites. As the pancakes cook, the choco chips will melt a little, essentially creating small bursts of gooey indulgence with every bite.

2. The Swirl Pancakes

Using a spoon, drip chocolate sauce onto the pancake batter in a circular fashion once you've laid it on the stove. As it cooks, the lines of chocolate will cook into the pancakes. (Watching them settle is a truly wonderful sight. Sigh!) Or, while the pancake is cooking, add dollops of sauce onto the pancakes, and then use the tip of a knife to draw circular lines out of the dollops. Make sure you don't cut into the batter or your pancake will break. Cook as usual and the pancakes will have lovely swirls throughout.

3. The Stuffed Chocolate Pancakes

To create stuffed chocolate pancakes, first, leave a round of pancake on the stove. Then, add a dollop of chocolate sauce or ganache on the round and spread. Or, scatter chocolate chips onto the round. Then add another round of the batter on the pancake and seal the edges by pressing gently. Cook the pancake until golden brown on both sides and serve warm. When you cut into these pancakes, the warm, thick chocolate will ooze through, making it an exciting eating experience.

4. The Chocolate Marble Pancakes

A fun, artistic way to go about this exercise is to create pancakes with a marble effect. To do this, divide the batter into two portions. In one, mix in the cocoa powder to create the chocolate batter. The other will stay as is or can include any other flavor you choose; make sure it’s not brown though, so it can contrast the chocolate later. On the pan, alternately spoon the chocolate and plain batters, creating layers. Use a knife to gently create designs, moving the knife around. This will create the marbled effect we’re looking for. Then cook the pancakes as usual and enjoy eating the stunning pancakes.

5. The Pancakes With Chocolate Toppings

If you don't want to complicate things too much, cook plain pancakes and then focus on adding indulgent, chocolatey toppings. One option is to melt chocolate or use chocolate sauce and pour generously over the stack of pancakes. Or add a scoop of chocolate ice cream. Or even a dollop—or two…or three—of chocolate ganache. If you want something crunchy, sprinkle on crushed chocolate cookies. Or dip nuts in chocolate, let them set, and scatter them on top of the pancakes.