3 ways to refresh your saturday morning pancakes

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Three ways to refresh your Saturday morning pancakes

by Sarah Kossits

After a cold & gloomy winter, there’s nothing better than the first Saturday mornings of spring. The arrival of the fresh air, blooming flowers, the warm sun and of knowing that you can go for a walk without having to bundle everyone up from head to toe is the perfect combination to lift just about anyone’s mood. After the months of routine and same-ness that your family may have fallen into over the winter, it can also be extra fun to refresh your Saturday morning pancake recipe! While it may be tempting to just add new toppings, there are plenty of ways to keep pancakes relatively healthy, appetizing for kids and that will leave them asking for more.

Add a cinnamon swirl

A light yet tasty twist to any traditional pancake (yes, even the ones from a box!), adding a cinnamon swirl to your recipe combines arguably two of the best breakfast foods: cinnamon buns and pancakes. It’s also remarkably easy to make!

To create the cinnamon swirl, simply mix together in a small bowl:

• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 6 tbsp. brown sugar (this can be reduced if desired, but by no more than a tablespoon)
• ½ tbsp. cinnamon

Once combined, place the cinnamon mixture in a re-sealable bag, close it and cut a very small opening off one of the corners. Then, simply pipe the mixture onto your pancakes once the first side is lightly bubbling & half-cooked! For a classic cinnamon bun swirl, start in the middle and work your way to the outside, being careful to not get too close to the edge of the pancake as it will expand and overflow. If you want to, pipe some fun shapes in! A simple heart or smiley face will taste just as good but feel extra sweet. Once swirled, let the pancake cook for an extra 10 seconds and flip it.

If you want to make these pancakes extra special, consider replacing traditional maple syrup with a cream cheese glaze by:

• Combining 4 ounces of softened cream cheese with ¼ cup softened unsalted butter
• Then adding ¾ cup powdered sugar, 2 tbsp of milk and 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Adjust the milk & powdered sugar until you reach your preferred consistency. Bon appétit!

Banana oat pancakes

If your children love chocolate chip pancakes but the added sugar makes you think twice about making them, then these banana oat pancakes are the way to go. After all, is there a better combination than bananas and chocolate? Healthier than normal pancakes and made with only 6 ingredients, these can be whipped up by even sleepiest of morning chefs. To make 5 small pancakes, combine until smooth:

• 1 cup old fashion oats, ground in a food processor
• 2 eggs
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Simply cook this batter in a pan the same way you would any other pancake, top as desired and enjoy! If you did want to add chocolate chips, be sure to add ½ a cup to the batter before cooking.

Want to make them more fun? Add shapes & colours!

If ever a birthday or a holiday rolls around that inspires you to make breakfast a little more fun, simply adding food colouring to the batter is an easy way to get the job done. You can create a rainbow pancake stack by splitting the batter into a couple of bowls and using multiple colours. Top with colourful sprinkles and they’ll be devoured in no time!

You can also cut pancakes into amusing shapes by using cookie cutters or a knife. For example, use a classic circle pancake for a head, cut two triangles for ears, smaller black circles for eyes, banana slices for whiskers and you now have a pancake cat! Christmas cookie cutters are also super useful for Christmas pancakes. Pancake gingerbread men, anyone?

Weekend morning breakfast traditions are truly something to be treasured that your kids are likely to carry on themselves. Though it’s the time spent together that matters most, sometimes knowing that a new fun recipe is coming your way is just the motivation you need to get through a busy school & work week!