TIP OF THE DAY: Chocolate Pancakes
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Valentine’s Day falls on Sunday this year, a day of the week when many of us have some extra time to make pancakes. What pancakes do you make for Valentine’s Day? Chocolate pancakes, of course! They can be the focus of breakfast or brunch, or served as dessert in smaller portions. Two recipes follow: All-Chocolate Pancakes and Dark Chocolate Raspberry Pancakes, which are regular pancakes packed with chocolate chunks. You can make either recipe with all-purpose flour, or use half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour for more nutrition and an added flavor element. But first: Not into chocolate? Make these Red Velvet Pancakes. People have been eating pancake-like foods for a very long time. According to Alan Davidson in the Oxford Companion to Food, the first mention of anything other than bread baked on a griddle is the oldest surviving cookbook, De Re Coquinaria (“On Cookery) by Apicius*. The book describes “cakes” made from a batter of eggs, milk, water and flour. They were fried and served with honey and pepper. Here’s more on the history of pancakes. RECIPE #1: CHOCOLATE PANCAKES This recipe was developed by Foodie Crush for GoBoldWithButter.com. Ingredients For 8-10 Pancakes 1. WHISK the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, mix the wet ingredients together until combined. 2. ADD the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Set the mixture aside to rest for 10 minutes. |
Top: Chocolate pancakes by Foodie Crush for GoBoldWithButter.com. Center: Dark Chocolate Raspberry Pancakes made with a heart pancake mold, from The Baker Chick. Bottom: Don’t like chocolate? Make these Red Velvet Pancakes from Taste Of Home. |
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3. PREHEAT a nonstick griddle to 325°F and cook the pancakes in batches. Keep them warm by placing a cooling rack atop a cookie sheet in a 250°F oven, until ready to serve. |
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Dessert pancakes. Top: With ice cream or |
RECIPE #2: DARK CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY PANCAKES The Baker Chick used heart-shape pancake molds for a special presentation. You can also use the molds to fry eggs, shape burgers, etc. Ingredients For 6-8 Pancakes 1. PREHEAT a griddle or skillet over medium-low heat. 2. WHISK together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the oil, egg and buttermilk, and whisk together until thoroughly combined, adding a splash more buttermilk if the batter is too thick. Fold in the chocolate chunks. 3. SPRAY or butter the skillet and pour in the batter. When bubbles form and pop in the batter, carefully flip each pancake, cooking until golden and baked through. 4. MAKE the syrup: Mash the raspberries with a fork and blend with the syrup. Warm it to your liking. 5. TOP the pancakes with butter and syrup and serve. |
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PANCAKE TIPS *“Apicius” is believed to be the pseudonym of one or several writers who authored the oldest surviving cookbook De Re Coquinaria (“On Cookery). The manuscript of some 400 recipes is believed to have been compiled in the late 4th or early 5th century C.E. Why the name Apicius? It had long been associated with gourmet preferences, named after Marcus Gavius Apicius, a wealthy Roman merchant and epicure who lived in the 1st century C.E. He is said to have once sailed all the way to Libya to eat some much-praised prawns, only to return home without having found any to his satisfaction. He hosted colossal banquets, which eventually drove him to bankruptcy…and suicide.
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