Gingerbread Pancakes & Apple Molasses Syrup

Christmas came early this morning! Gingerbread Pancakes & Apple Molasses Syrup are a wonderfully festive brunch treat. Truth be told, I'd prefer not to spend my Christmas morning flipping pancakes at the stove. So perhaps this is a good "Saturday before Christmas" kinda breakfast?

You'll find my recipe below for scratch-made pancakes. But let's call a spade, a spade. Pancake mixes are pretty good these days. So if you've got a favorite, prepare it according to the box and whisk in the ginger, cinnamon, cloves and vanilla. And voila! A fabulous shortcut that will remain our little secret. And let's face it, you're eat these pancakes for the syrup anyways.

Gingerbread Pancakes & Apple Molasses Syrup

Ingredients

For the Apple Molasses Syrup

· ½ tbsp butter

· 1 granny smith apple, peeled and diced

· ¼ cup brown sugar

· 3 tbsp molasses

· pinch of salt

For the Gingerbread Pancakes

· 2 eggs, separated

· 2 tbsp sugar

· 1 ¾ cup buttermilk

· 2 tsp vanilla extract

· 2 1/3 cup flour

· 1 tsp salt

· ¾ tsp ground ginger

· ½ tsp cinnamon

· ¼ tsp ground cloves

· 1 tsp baking powder

· ½ tsp baking soda

· 1/3 cup milk

· whipped cream

For the syrup…add all of the ingredients to a small sauce pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a hard simmer. Cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the syrup begins to thicken. Keep warm on very low heat or set aside and allow to cool, and thicken at room temperature.

While the syrup cooks, prepare the pancakes.

For the pancakes… whip the eggs whites until stiff peaks form. Whip in the sugar until the egg whites are glossy. Set aside.

In a large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, extract, and egg yolks.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, spices, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk in the buttermilk mixture until combined. If the batter is too thick, gradually stir in the milk until the pancake batter is smooth and pourable. Gently fold in the whipped egg whites until thoroughly mixed into the pancake batter.

Heat a non-stick griddle or skillet over medium low heat. Lightly grease with butter. Dollop pancake batter onto the skillet using a 1/3 cup measure. Cook pancakes on one side for 2-3 minutes until bubbles begin to form on the surface and the bottoms are golden brown. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve the pancakes with a spoonful of the apple molasses syrup and a dollop of whipped cream.

Makes 12 4-in pancakes

GF Friendly

Gluten Free Friendly!

I had greatest success with King Arthur’s gluten free flour blend.