S'more Pancakes

Pancakes are a favorite canvass of mine. They're such promising frames of fluffy emptiness, waiting to be populated with fruit or chocolate or any number of amazing things. Once you get down the basics of batter consistency and flipping, there's no end to the creative breakfasts (lunches, dinners, or desserts, for that matter) that you can create.

With a bounty of mini-marshmallows on hand from my Thanksgiving yams, I set out to bring a little bit of the campfire to the griddle one morning.

Ingredients:
Pancake Mix

Water

Chocolate Chips

Mini-Marshmallows

Graham Crackers

Butter

Steps/Analysis:

All pancake batters are a little different. Some call for additional eggs, some for oil. The variety that I've been buying lately merely asks for the addition of water and it really doesn't get any easier than that.

Follow the directions on whatever box you purchased, but don't be afraid to adjust the ratio if need be. The batter should be thick enough to hold together, but still pourable. Also, keep in mind that it will tighten up a little bit as it sits on the counter. I've gotten to the point where I can eyeball a consistent batter and, with enough pancakes under your belt, you will be there too. I promise.

To your batter, add equal portions of chocolate chips, marshmallows, and crushed graham crackers. Err on the side of caution, though. Too many mix-ins is going to complicate things later on.

Another note: leave your graham crackers a little on the over-large side. They're going to soften up in the batter and throughout the cooking process, and you want an identifiable graham cracker texture.

Heat a pan or griddle over Medium-High heat and lube it up with butter. When the butter starts sizzling, you're ready to go.

Dose out the batter in whatever amount you're comfortable with, making sure to leave room for flipping.

Don't mess around with your pancakes after you've poured the batter onto the pan. I cannot emphasize this enough. The melty marshmallows and chunky crackers are going to create some strange shapes as the batter spreads out. You can neaten up the edges if you must, but remember that you only get one flip! No more, no less.

You'll know that it's time to flip your pancakes when the edges start to solidify a bit and air bubbles start to work up through their centers.

Wait a minute or so to brown the other side and cook the pancakes through, then quickly evacuate them to a large plate or serving dish.

Repeat until there's no more batter left.

Serving/Analysis:

It seems almost criminal to suggest that you pour syrup over these pancakes, so, officially, I won't. (That is what I did, though.)

After cooking up a batch, it occurs to me that you might want to increase the ratio of marshmallows and graham crackers to chocolate. They have much subtler flavors and have the tendency to fade into the background when you really want them to put their stamp on the dish.

Feel free to garnish the plates with additional graham crackers, chocolate chips, and marshmallows.

Nutella Pancakes

I suppose I've had a bit of a sweet tooth, lately. At least, it must seem that way from my most recent posts. From last week's dessert we transition nicely to today's breakfast with Nutella pancakes!

I'm pretty good with pancakes, I won't lie. Long ago, my mother taught me that you could flip a hamburger as many times as you want, but you only flip a pancake once. As long as you take that to heart, the rest of pancake cookery will follow. After that, you'll start experimenting with what you can add to the batter to make a unique treat. That's what happened to me.

Ingredients:

Pancake Mix (I'm partial to Hungry Jack brand myself, but use whatever you like)

Any Ingredients Your Mix Calls For (i.e. oil, water, milk, eggs, etc.)

3 Tablespoons of Nutella

2 Tablespoons of Butter

Steps/Analysis:

It doesn't get much simpler than this, folks. Basically, you'll want to follow the directions on the box of pancake mix to form a batter. Aim for 6-8 pancakes. Any more and you'll want to increase the Nutella to preserve the ratio.

Scoop the Nutella into a small, microwaveable bowl. Add the butter and zap for about a minute and a half. Stir until you have a smooth consistency that can be worked into your pancake batter. You may need to microwave it again, depending on your machine.

Pour the liquefied Nutella into the batter and combine with a whisk or a large spoon.

Set a griddle or a large pan on the stove over Medium heat. Grease it liberally with a pat of butter and ladle out your cakes.

When the edges of the pancakes seem to have firmed up and air bubbles are breaking the surface it's time to flip. Do so only once. You can peek at the underside, though, to make sure they're done when you think they are.

Remove the pancakes to a plate or serving platter and place in a just barely warm oven if it's going to be a while before serving.

Serving/Notes:
The Nutella flavor of the pancakes was much more subtle than I expected and the nuttiness comes out a lot more than the chocolate seemed to. They were quite delicious served up with more Nutella, whipped cream, and fresh fruit.

You'll notice that my pancakes are paired with french toast that a lovely breakfast assistant did up. I also think a bready breakfast should always be paired with a meat, turkey bacon in this case.