Chocolate Buttermilk Pancakes with Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce – Chocolate and caramel is a match made in heaven and makes for a special breakfast treat. The soft, light, fluffy, moist buttermilk pancakes are the perfect sponges for the sweet and lightly salted caramel sauce.
Chocolate. It’s what’s for breakfast.
It’s even better when paired with homemade salted caramel sauce.
This isn’t the type of breakfast you’d make every day, but it sure is a good one when you do.
It’s my birthday today and they’d make a nice birthday breakfast. But I made them last weekend and they’re long gone.
The pancakes are light, soft, and fluffy from the buttermilk. They’re anything but lead balloons, a major gripe I have with many pancakes.
And if you can get the pancakes to look like Pac-Man, they taste even better. I loved that game and could play it for hours, but I digress.
The pancakes appear fairly dark because I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder, but they look darker and more intense than they actually taste. I love my dark chocolate, but I don’t want bitter for breakfast.
The chocolate flavor is present, but not overpowering. If you prefer to be overpowered, make these.
The salted caramel sauce is the icing on the cake. Or the drizzle on the stack. If you’ve never made caramel sauce, it’s not a biggie.
I wrote a step-by-step tutorial with Dark Rum Caramel Sauce. Same thing here, just swapping out rum for a bit of sea salt. Or keep the rum.
When making caramel sauce, make sure you’re organized and have everything ready to go. Read the recipe. Then read it again before you turn on the stove. Make sure you know what you’re doing, where you’re going, and what to look for. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes, but before you start playing around with boiling sugar, make sure your ducks are in a row.
And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Trader Joe’s Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce.
I kept the pancakes on the smaller side, about 3 inches in diameter, and made 11 pancakes. If you’re keeping them smaller, it’s a 10 to 12 pancake recipe. Or a 6-pancake recipe for larger pancakes.
I’m not a good pancake flipper and smaller pancakes are easier and more manageable to flip.
Feel free to double the recipe, and the extras can be frozen for up to 6 months and warmed in the micro. It’s a nice 60-second hot breakfast option for busy weekday mornings. They’re a smidge rubbery when reheated, but it’s very liveable and easy to overlook because there’s chocolate involved.
I took some of the extra pancakes and smeared peanut butter on them for chocolate-pancake-and-peanut-butter-sandwiches for lunch boxes. Chocolate pancakes trump bread.
The soft, light, moist pancakes are the perfect sponges for the sweet and lightly salted caramel sauce. Maple syrup of course works too, but caramel and chocolate is a match made in heaven.
The caramel is thick, rich, luxurious, and I couldn’t keep my spoon out of the jar.
When I made these over the weekend, they were met with rave reviews from my family.
You can’t go wrong with chocolate for breakfast. Or with caramel sauce.
Enjoy!
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Chocolate Buttermilk Pancakes with Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
Pancakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I used
- Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional
- 1 cup buttermilk, plus a splash more only if necessary
- 1 large egg
- 2 heaping tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Salted Caramel Sauce (makes 1 cup)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¾ cup heavy cream or half and half, I use half and half
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons rum, optional
- ¼ cup butter, half of 1 stick, salted or unsalted may be used
- ½ to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste (or omit salt for regular caramel sauce)
Instructions
- For the Pancakes – In a large mixing bowl, whisk together first 8 dry ingredients (through optional salt); set aside.
- In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together final 4 wet ingredients.
- Add wet to dry, and fold gently to combine. Don’t overmix; batter will be lumpy. It’s a thick batter, but if it’s too thick for your liking, add a splash of additional buttermilk to thin it.
- Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium heat.
- Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon that’s been sprayed with cooking spray (helps batter to slide right off), place heaping 2-tablespoon mounds of batter in skillet. Cook pancakes on first side for about 3 minutes, flip and cook on second side for about 2 minutes, or until done. Repeat until all batter is gone, respraying both skillet and scoop with cooking spray as necessary.
- Serve pancakes immediately with butter, syrup, or your favorite topping. If making the salted caramel sauce, place pancakes on a baking sheet and keep them in a preheated 250F oven while making the sauce so they stay warm. Pancakes can be wrapped or kept airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 4 months.
- For the Salted Caramel Sauce – In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan with tall enough sides to accommodate the mixture when it starts bubbling, combine the sugar and water. Heat over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil without stirring. Using caution, use a wet pastry brush or damp paper towel to wipe down any crystals that are clinging to the sides of the saucepan. Failure to remove them could result in a grainy sauce. Boil until the mixture is a deep amber color, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and using caution, whisk in the cream. The mixture will bubble up vigorously.
- Add the vanilla and optional rum. It will bubble again.
- Stir in the butter and salt to taste; or omit salt for regular caramel sauce. If using table salt rather than Kosher salt, add less because it’s finer-grained and 1 teaspoon of table salt is much saltier tasting than 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt.
- Transfer caramel to a glass or heatproof jar with a lid. Caramel sauce will keep airtight for many months in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Related Recipes:
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The Ultimate Fudgy Caramel Brownies
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Dark Rum Caramel Sauce (gluten-free) – A step-by-step guide for easy at-home caramel sauce that can be used on everything from ice cream to apples. Can be made with or without rum, although I recommend the rum. Add salt to taste
Marshmallow Caramel Oreo Cookie S’Mores Bars
Seven Minute Microwave Caramels (gluten free) – Almost too good to be true. The best caramels I’ve ever had and will be the only recipe I’ll ever use or need again
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Caramel and Chocolate Gooey Bars (GF with Vegan adaptation) – Caramels, more caramels, and plenty of chocolate and oats are combined in these gooey, sticky, sweet, and texture-rich bars
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Homemade Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies
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What’s your favorite pancake recipe?
I hope you have a lovely day!
And these cakes look amazing! Breakfast, lunch, dinner – anytime! Can’t wait to give them a try.
Happy Birthday, Averie! Love these pancakes – thick, rich and fluffy! And the caramel sauce is the only way to go with them! Have a fabulous day!!
Happy birthday!! What a nice way to start the day. Those pancakes look screamin’! Have a great day.
Happy Brithday, Averie! What a perfect birthday post! Hope you are enjoying a delicious birthday treat today!
Happy Birthday! These pancakes look divine. I’d want them for dessert! I’m not a good pancake flipper either, I absolutely have to make tiny pancakes!
Happy birthday, my friend! I hope you have a beautiful day with your family! Simeon loves himself a good pancake for breakfast. I just made him plate sized pancakes yesterday, but like you, the smaller ones end up so much prettier because of ease of flipping. I love these. Chocolate pancakes with caramel sauce…what’s not to love? Plus, they look like an incredible dessert for breakfast. Great idea to transform them into sandwiches later on, too!
Again, happy birthday! Have a wonderful day! :-)
Happy Birthday!! You had me on the first sentence btw! Much xx! Moni :)
I chose a horrible day to juice fast. Just 1 day of fasting today and 1) it’s your birthday 2) it’s national peanut butter cookie day and 3) you posted THESE! The most amazing chocolate pancakes I’ve ever seen! I want to dive headfirst into a huge stack of them. And that homemade salted caramel sauce is calling my name! I’d love these as my birthday dessert over cake any day. That’s after I have them for breakfast too. Pinned!
These are like a dream come true (they are so puffy!!!!) and I’m so glad you got to enjoy them and I hope you are enjoying the day that is ALL about YOU! Sending you lots of good lighting and photoshoot thoughts today. :)
Thanks for pinning and for your enthusiastic support of these pancakes. Most amazing choc pancakes you’ve ever seen? Thank you, Sally!!!
Juice fasting? Well good for you! One day is just long enough to get a headache and go thru some detoxing and before you know it, you’re done :) I can’t believe the odds of your timing and the day, though!
And it’s funny that you know me so well…if I could have one gift for my bday today, it would be a great photoshoot and great lighting. I have a BACKLOG of food to shoot and it’s overcast and hideous so far. Fingers crossed it burns off xoxo
Happy Birthday darling!
I hope you have a wonderful birthday and someone makes YOU a cake and not you–take the day off.
Nice pancakes!
Now that would be a dream come true. My husband doesnt know where we keep the spoons though. lol
Happy birthday, Averie!! These look so fantastic. I want a tall stack right now!!
Thanks, Stephanie! :)
I love chocolate for breakfast :) Happy birthday, Averie! Wishing you another wonderful year ahead!
Well my birthday is in two weeks and I think I’ll have these for breakfast!
Happy Birthday!
Happy early bday!
Happy birthday, Averie! My husband’s birthday is the day after Father’s Day so I might have to make him these pancakes both days. I’m sure that he would adore these since he is a fan of both chocolate and buttermilk pancakes. Maybe I should add some sprinkles on top for an extra special treat!
You totally should make them and add sprinkles! Being that I just posted ice cream with sprinkles yesterday, and my last pancake recipe had sprinkles cooked in (linked in the post), I held off. But wanted to :) LMK if you try them!
Happy Birthday Averie. I knew it was your birthday before I read your post because Google + had a little reminder for me this morning! I hope you’re taking some down time today to do something fun for just you, like a killer run, hike or something that you love to. Ok, these pancakes are like over the top and with the salted caramel sauce, wow! My kids would be in heaven if I ever served these up to them for breakfast. All you need to do is plop a candle on top of these bad boys and sing happy birthday because they’re as beautiful and rich as a cake! Great job yet again Averie! Your next cookbook should be chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate ☺ Enjoy your special day! xoxo, Jackie
Thanks for the sweet words, Jackie! I can always count on you to bring such positive energy and a smile to my face! Thank you for your friendship and never ending support! xo
happy birthday averie!!
Happy Birthday fellow Gemini! My birthday was on the 7th. I hope you have an amazing day. I wish I was having these pancakes for breakfast today!
Happy belated to you!!