National Chocolate Chip Day is just around the corner and if you are like me, you’ll be cooking pancakes! IDK why, but even though these edible morsels are an essential ingredient in many sweet treats like cookies, muffins, brownies, puddings, pies, waffles, and bagels, the very sound of chocolate chips makes me think about pancakes. If pancakes are not your thing and you prefer gourmet toasts, make sure you check out some of the best electric griddles in the market.

How Did Chocolate Chips Get in My Pancake Recipes?

Chocolate chips are an invention of Ruth Graves Wakefield of the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts. She was the first to add chunks of a Nestlé chocolate bar to her cookies. The cookies were so successful that Nestlé started selling chocolate chips, in addition to introducing Ruth’s recipe on their cookie package. Today, chocolate chip cookies are considered a quintessentially American dessert and Nestlé is still among the top producers of chocolate chips in the world.

Chocolate chips are most commonly sold in a round, flat-bottom shape but there are also square and rectangular varieties in various sizes, from miniature to large. Chocolate morsels are usually made of semi-sweet chocolate, and today they come in many different flavours: butterscotch, peanut butter, mint chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate…

I personally prefer to include dark chocolate chips in my fluffy pancake recipes. They are made with a large percentage of cocoa (over 70%). Even though these chips have a slightly bitter taste, in pancakes it is neutralised by the use of sweeteners and milk. Dark chocolate is lower in sugar and calories and is also very nutritious.

Why Is It Good to Use Chocolate Chips in Pancake Recipes?

Studies say that cocoa, the main ingredient in dark chocolate, is full of antioxidants that fight harmful free radicals and protect the whole body against diseases. Cocoa also improves blood flow in the arteries and decreases blood pressure. It lowers the bad LDL cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease as well. And finally, cocoa boosts brain function and energy levels. Isn’t that a great excuse to eat chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast?

Chocolate Chip Pancake Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 eggs

4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1⁄3 cup chocolate chips

Method of preparation:

Combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients: milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Heat a griddle of frying pan over medium-high heat and pour about ¼ cup batter per pancake. Cook until bubbles appear on top, for about 2 minutes, then flip and cook the opposite side until golden brown.

Note: Chocolate chips can also be melted and used for sauces to pour on top of your pancake stack. They melt at about 105-110 degrees F and the fastest & easiest way to do it is in the microwave, mixed with some coconut oil.

For a more decadent variety, combine melted chocolate chips with heavy cream, vanilla and sugar, heating until smooth and glossy. Alternatively, you can mix them with milk, butter, and vanilla.

Dive in!