How to Make Hot Chocolate Pancakes

Sweet, chocolatey, warm, and flavorful, hot chocolate pancakes are ideal for chilly mornings in the cold season. Topped off with a creamy chocolate sauce and mini marshmallows, or perhaps something more elaborate, these pancakes may become your new favorite breakfast meal.

• Makes: 12 pancakes

EditIngredients

Hot Chocolate Pancakes

• 1½ cups dark hot chocolate
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• vanilla extract
• all-purpose flour
• dutch-process cocoa powder
• baking powder
• salt

Chocolate Fudge Sauce

• chocolate chips
• heavy cream

Hot Chocolate Sauce

• maple syrup
• hot chocolate powder

Other Optional Toppings

• (50 g) mini marshmallows
• peppermint extract and 10 peppermint candies, crushed
• Chocolate-hazelnut spread
• Miniature chocolate chips
• Chocolate sprinkles
• Whipped cream

EditSteps

EditMaking the Pancakes

1. Preheat the griddle to medium-low heat and spread butter over it.
   
   • For an electric griddle, preheat it to 350 F (177 C).^[1]
2. Combine the wet ingredients. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the hot chocolate, vanilla, and egg until well combined.
   
3. Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, sift or whisk them together the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder until properly combined.^[2]
   
4. Combine all the ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well, and use a whisk or rubber spatula to combine everything.
   
   • Don’t overmix the batter, because this can develop the gluten in the flour and make for chewy rather than fluffy pancakes.^[3]
5. Set the batter aside to rest for 30 minutes. This will give the flour time to absorb the moisture in the batter. It will also give the gluten time to relax, and this will make for light and fluffy pancakes.^[4]
   
   • If in a hurry, you can skip the resting step, but your pancakes won’t be quite as fluffy.
6. Pour ¼ cup of pancake batter onto the griddle. This will make one pancake.^[5] Repeat for however many pancakes your griddle will hold, leaving enough space between them to allow for flipping.
   
7. Cook the pancakes. When bubbles form and start to pop, after two to three minutes, use a spatula to flip the pancakes.
   
   • Once they’ve been flipped, cook the pancakes for an additional two minutes, or until they're golden brown on both sides.^[6]
8. Lay the pancake on a large plate, or on a cooling rack over a baking sheet in the oven.
   
   • An oven isn't necessary, but if you're doing a big batch, it's the best way to keep cooked pancakes warm while the others are in the griddle. Pre-heat the oven to 225 F (107 C), and then place the plate or cooling rack and pan in there.^[7]
9. Repeat until there is no more pancake batter. When the first batch of pancakes is in the oven, add another tablespoon (14 g) of butter to the hot griddle. Add more batter and continue the process until all the pancakes are done.^[8]
   
10. Serve. Place a pancake on a serving plate and garnish as desired. Enjoy!
    

EditExperimenting with Toppings

1. Get creative with your toppings. One of the best things about hot chocolate pancakes is the variety of ways you can garnish them with different sauces and toppings, so you can even turn basic pancakes into a fun breakfast bar event.
   
2. Drizzle a chocolate fudge sauce on top. In a saucepan or double boiler over low heat, mix the chocolate chips and light cream using a whisk. Shut off the stove and allow the fudge sauce to cool until lukewarm. Drizzle the sauce over each pancake or on top of a stack.
   
3. Try a hot chocolate sauce. Combine the maple syrup and hot chocolate powder in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly. Simmer for five minutes, until the sauce is hot and thick.^[9] Drizzle the sauce over each pancake or on top of a stack.
   
4. Garnish with marshmallow. Hot chocolate is often served with marshmallows, so why not serve hot chocolate pancakes with marshmallows, too? For a gooier treat, roast or melt the marshmallows on the pancakes slightly with a cooking torch, first.
   
   • Alternatively, try spreading marshmallow crème onto the pancakes.^[10]
5. Transform them into peppermint hot chocolate pancakes. Peppermint and chocolate are a wonderful combination for the holidays. To make a simple peppermint chocolate sauce, add of peppermint extract to the chocolate fudge or hot chocolate sauce.
   
   • Top each pancake with a drizzle of peppermint chocolate sauce and a sprinkle of crushed peppermint candies.^[11]
6. Experiment with all kinds of other toppings. If you're making hot chocolate pancakes for a dessert, or offering up a pancake buffet, the sky is the limit on your toppings. Think of the kinds of things you might eat with an ice cream sundae.
   
   • Consider topping the pancakes with chocolate syrup instead of the fudge sauce.
   • A layer of chocolate-hazlenut spread goes great with these pancakes.
   • Add whipped cream and a layer of chocolate sprinkles.
   • Whip up a caramel sauce or even a salted caramel sauce and drizzle that on top.
   • Try some marshmallow and miniature chocolate chips to emulate a s'more.^[12]
   • Garnish the hot chocolate pancakes with chocolate flakes or curls for a sweeter flavor.

EditWarnings

• Take caution not over-mix the pancake batter or the pancakes will end up dry and rubbery.
• Avoid hot chocolate mixes that contain dairy, as this can change the texture of the pancakes.^[13]
• Don’t stack the pancakes on top of each other, or they’ll get soggy.^[14]

EditThings You'll Need

• Griddle
• Spatula
• 2 medium-sized bowls
• Wooden spoon
• Whisk
• Saucepan
• Ladle
• Large plate
• Serving plate

EditRelated wikiHows

• Make Chocolate Chip Pancakes
• Make Chocolate Flavored Pancakes
• Make Nutella Pancakes
• Make M&M Pancakes

EditSources and Citations

• http://ift.tt/1QAsoF0 - research source

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