Check Out These 7 Pancake Recipes........

Pancakes don’t have to come from a Betty Crocker mix — they can be perfected homemade in a number of ways.
Catering to any and all dietary preferences, hot cakes can be made traditionally with flour, nutritiously with fruit, gluten-free with substitutes, or vegan without eggs and milk. These 7 recipes show just how versatile the pancake really can be.

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1. Basic Pancakes

We’re kicking it off on a classic note with this recipe for your tried-and-true traditional pancakes from Martha Stewart. You can’t go wrong with these pancakes that are reminiscent of slow Saturday mornings at home. Enlisting only baking staples that you probably already have in your pantry, there’s no need to make a grocery run for these hot cakes on February 17. Grab your toppings of choice and go.
Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions: Preheat oven to 200 degrees; have a baking sheet or heatproof platter ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter, and egg. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened.
Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Fold a paper towel in half, and moisten with oil; carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel. For each pancake, spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter onto skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round.
Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and keep warm in oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter.

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2. Banana Pancakes

Make these hot cakes to the sweet tunes of Jack Johnson and see what his song is all about. This recipe for Banana Pancakes from Once Upon a Chef yields thick, buttery pancakes with a pungent banana flavor. They’re a nice spin on traditional pancakes, and they even come with a punch of potassium thanks to the bananas. Whip these up, warm up your maple syrup, and pretend like it’s the weekend.
Ingredients:

1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
2 tablespoons sugar
2½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 small, over-ripe banana, peeled
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons low fat milk
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork until almost smooth. Whisk in the eggs, then add the milk and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour the banana mixture and the melted butter into the flour mixture. Fold the batter gently with a rubber spatula until just blended; do not over-mix.
Set a griddle or non-stick pan over medium heat until hot. Put a pad of butter and one tablespoon vegetable oil onto the griddle, and swirl it around. Drop the batter by ¼-cupfuls onto the griddle, spacing the pancakes about 2 inches apart. Cook until a few holes form on top of each pancake and the underside is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until the bottom is golden brown and the top is puffed, 1 to 2 minutes more. Using the spatula, transfer the pancakes to a serving plate.
Wipe the griddle clean with paper towels, add more butter and oil, and repeat with the remaining batter. Serve the pancakes while still hot with maple syrup, sliced bananas and confectioners’ sugar if desired.

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3. Double Chocolate Pancakes

We’re guessing you’ve heard of chocolate chip pancakes, but have you ever let your mind wander to the idea of Double Chocolate Pancakes? The decadent hot cakes do exist, and Bakerella knows how to make them. Her recipe for pancakes has you going heavy-handed with your cocoa powder and your semisweet chocolate chips. She also instructs you to whip up a chocolate sauce that will be poured over the pancakes once they’re cooked, and after that, it’s safe to say revelers should expect to enter hot cake heaven.
Ingredients:

1⅓ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1¼ cup milk
1 egg
½ cup miniature semisweet chocolate morsels
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Chocolate sauce

¾ cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate morsels

Directions: In a medium bowl, whisk dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients and whisk until combined. The batter will be lumpy. Stir in miniature chocolate morsels.
Heat griddle over medium heat and lightly grease surface with butter. Use a ¼-cup measuring cup to scoop batter onto griddle to ensure similar size pancakes. Cook until pancakes have bubbles on the top, then flip them over and cook for an additional minute. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm with powdered sugar.
To make the chocolate sauce, heat heavy cream and butter in a small saucepan until just on the cusp of boiling, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and pour over miniature morsels in a small bowl. Let rest for a minute, then stir until completely combined. Drizzle over pancakes.

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4. Vegan Pancakes

Next up are some pancakes that fall on the opposite side of the spectrum from the Double Chocolate Pancakes. Enter: Vegan Pancakes from Minimalist Baker. These hot cakes are whole grain, made without dairy milk or eggs, and easy to prepare in one bowl. Whole wheat and spelt flours go into the mix, with rolled oats and coconut oil also making appearances. Prepare these healthy 10-ingredient pancakes and get ready for a nice, nutritious morning.
Ingredients:

1 flax egg
1 tablespoon olive, canola, grape seed, or melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch sea salt
1 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened plain almond milk
¼ cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup spelt flour
2 tablespoons rolled oats and/or roughly chopped nuts or seeds

Directions: To a large mixing bowl add flaxseed and water and let set for a minute or two. Then add olive oil, maple syrup, baking soda, baking powder, salt and whisk to combine. Add almond milk and whisk again until well combined. Next add oats, whole wheat flour, and spelt flour and stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix. Let batter rest for 10 minutes while you preheat your cooking surface.
Preheat electric griddle to medium heat, or a large skillet on the stove stop. Lightly grease griddle with oil of choice and pour ¼ cup measurements of the batter onto the griddle. There should be 6 pancakes. Flip when bubbles appear in the middle and the edges turn slightly dry, being careful not to burn. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more on the other side.

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5. Healthyass Blueberry Pancake

And while we’re on the healthy pancake subject, we also want to highlight this recipe from Honeystuck. Made with a ripe banana, a couple tablespoons of flour, egg whites, and vanilla extract, you might at first be skeptical of this hot cake, but we can confirm from experience that this recipe yields a delicious (and nutritious) result. Pancakes don’t need to launch you into a food coma — this recipe proves you can have your hot cakes and eat healthy, too.
Ingredients:

1 ripe banana, mashed
2 egg whites
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons flour
Sprinkle of cinnamon
¼ cup fruit of choice

Directions: Mix together the mashed banana, egg whites and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Stir in your fruit. Warm a skillet over medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking oil. Pour batter in and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.

Source: iStock

6. Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes

Next up are Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes from Taste of Home. These hot cakes are the perfect winter morning meal, and are made from oats that are high in fiber and have been documented to lower cholesterol. According to Medical News Today, oats may reduce the risk of coronary artery disease, lower the risk of colorectal cancer, and lower blood pressure. Now, you have no excuse not to whip up these soul-warming oatcakes.
Ingredients:

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk

Directions: In a small bowl, combine the oats, flours, baking soda, salt and sugar. In another small bowl, beat the egg, oil and buttermilk. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Pour batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top; cook until the second side is golden brown. Yield: about 10 pancakes.

Source: iStock

7. Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

Ending things on a sweet note, we conclude with these Cinnamon Bun Pancakes from A Cozy Kitchen. It’s safe to say food blogger Adrianna Adarme knows her pancakes, considering she wrote a whole cookbook on the subject, and she proves that expertise again with these Cinnamon Bun Pancakes that are almost too good to be true. Enlisting all the usual pancake suspects along with powdered sugar, these hot cakes will make for the sweetest morning yet.
Ingredients:
Glaze

½ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Dry

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

Wet

1 ¼ cup buttermilk, shaken
1 large egg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Directions: To make the glaze, add the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract to a small bowl and whisk vigorously until mixture is smooth and creamy. If the glaze is either too thin or thick, simply add more powdered sugar or milk until it’s to the consistency of your liking. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a measuring cup (or small bowl), measure out buttermilk. Add egg and melted butter; beat until thoroughly combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter should have some small to medium lumps. Heat up your griddle (or cast iron skillet) over medium heat and brush with ½ tablespoon of butter. Scoop the batter, using a ¼ cup measure, onto the warm skillet. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until small bubbles form on the surface of the pancake, and then flip. Turn heat down to medium-low and cook on opposite side for about 1 minute, or until golden brown.
Transfer cooked pancakes to a baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm. Proceed with the rest of the batter until you’re done. Top each stack of pancakes with the glaze.