(Warning: some perfectly delicious pancake parts were destroyed during the creation of this post. Reader discretion advised.)
My Valentine’s Day traditions have changed over time. A few years ago I would have enjoyed a romantic dinner date with my husband. Now, we have two more tiny guests at our kitchen table. One, in particular, is pret-ty picky when it comes to food of any kind.
So, when I brainstormed recipe ideas for Valentine’s Day, I knew that I wanted to prepare something that my entire family could enjoy. Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday this year so it was even more fitting to share a sit-down dish instead of a pop-in-your-mouth-and-go dessert.
I decided there was no better way than to start your Valentine’s Day off with heart-shaped chocolate chip pancakes.
But, these are not just any pancakes.
I cooked these fluffy chocolate chip filled cakes on a flat griddle. Then, I cut them into shapes with heart shaped cookie cutters. This does mean that you will be left with some chocolate chip pancake scraps. You can throw them away. (Or, if you’re like me, you can sneak them for a sweet snack during nap time. I won’t tell – promise.)
The cookie cutter set comes with multiple size cutters, so I topped my pancakes with mini heart-shaped pats of butter. Because I could!
This recipe makes about 9-10 chocolate chip pancakes. I successfully doubled the recipe, so if you are feeding a crowd, it’s no problem!
Here’s to a delicious start to February and a Happy Valentine’s Day!
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted plus extra for griddle or serving
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (mini or regular)
- Maple syrup, for serving
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a small bowl, combine milk, egg yolks, and 3 tablespoons melted butter; add to flour mixture, whisking until smooth.
- In a small bowl, beat egg whites at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until stiff. Gently fold into batter. Mix in chocolate chips.
- Heat a flat griddle pan to medium or medium low heat. Spray griddle with non-stick spray or cover with a tablespoon of butter. Ladle a ¼-cup batter for each pancake onto griddle. Cook pancakes until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Turn and cook the other side.
- Cut pancakes with cookie cutters and serve with syrup or desired toppings.