I love the flavors of gingerbread and molasses so much.
So I made pancakes that taste like gingerbread cookies.
I recently posted recipes for Soft Molasses Coconut Oil Crinkle Cookies and Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Molasses Chocolate Chip Bars and wanted to branch out.
The cookies are likely my new go-to-and-forever recipe for soft molasses cookies, and the bars are one of the best things I’ve made in 2013. Like eating a piece of gingerbread-molasses fudge. Seriously decadent, spicy, bold, chocolaty, and rich. Couldn’t top either recipe.
But pancakes were unchartered territory and fair game.
They’re light, soft, fluffy and they’re pleasantly bold. The batter is standard pancake batter. A bowl of dry ingredients and a bowl of wet. Pour the wet over dry, stir, and griddle up your pancakes.
Buttermilk helps keep the pancakes tender and light, and the results just aren’t the same with regular milk. You can make buttermilk by souring your own milk. Add about 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup milk, wait for 10 minutes for it to curdle, then use as indicated.
If you don’t routinely keep buttermilk on hand, I highly recommend this Powdered Buttermilk. If you don’t use buttermilk much, but sometimes see a recipe that needs a half cup, but because you think you won’t use the rest of the jug before it goes bad, you opt of trying the recipe, then this powder is your new best friend. Shelf stable, keeps for ages.
Since I was making gingerbread pancakes, not plain pancakes, I wanted them to taste like gingerbread. The only way to make 1 cup of white flour and buttermilk taste like gingerbread cookies is through plentiful use of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and molasses.
There’s 5 1/2 teaspoons of spices for 8 average-sized pancakes, along with 3 tablespoons of molasses. Well-spiced without being overdone, but if you’re more sensitive to spices, tone them down to your liking, possibly even halving them; and dial the molasses back to taste, also.
I don’t have a griddle and make my pancakes in a non-stick skillet that holds four at a time, and I’m a horrible pancake flipper at that. I do the best I can to not mutilate them while flipping, and I get anxiety as the 3-minute mark is approaching and all of a sudden I have to flip four before they all char. Gah.
Most people fry their pancakes in lots of melted butter. I love butter as much as the next person, but in this season of excess and abundance, I try to cut corners where I can, and only used cooking spray. I didn’t miss the fat, calories, or any buttery taste, but use the real thing if you prefer.
Pancakes aren’t really pancakes unless they’re flooded with syrup. What you see here is only a fraction of what I use in reality, and it’s always the season of excess and abundance when it comes to syrup.
Plain maple syrup is, well, plain. I doctored up this syrup with molasses and ground ginger. I could literally drink molasses and could probably do a 1:1 ratio of molasses and syrup. I didn’t, but wanted to. Use what tastes good to you.
A tip to keep pancakes warm for up to 1 hour, is to transfer cooked pancakes to a baking sheet, and place in a preheated 200F oven to keep them warm.
The pancakes are the perfect warm, comforting start to any chilly winter morning, and they’d be a great brunch or breakfast-in-bed treat, or a fabulous Christmas morning breakfast.
I ate the leftover pancakes for brinner (breakfast-for-dinner) and it felt like I was eating gingerbread cookies for dinner. And I loved it.
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Soft and Fluffy Gingerbread Pancakes with Ginger Molasses Maple Syrup
Ingredients
Pancakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed (light brown may be substituted)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons light, medium, or dark molasses (not blackstrap; it’s too pungent)
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ginger Molasses Maple Syrup
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons light, medium, or dark molasses, or to taste
- ½ to 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
Instructions
- Pancakes – In a large mixing bowl, add first 11 ingredients, through optional salt, and whisk to combine; set aside.
- In a large glass measuring cup or medium bowl, add remaining 5 ingredients, through vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Batter will be fairly thick and some lumps will be present; don’t try to stir them smooth.
- Pre-heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray (or use melted butter if you prefer).
- Using a 1/4-cup measure sprayed with cooking spray for easy release, scoop batter onto warm skillet. Cook for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Take a peek at the underside with a spatula, and when golden, flip over.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until done. Repeat process with the remaining batter, adding more cooking spray to the skillet as needed, and wiping any black residue with a paper towel as needed. Serve immediately. Tip – To keep pancakes warm for up to 1 hour, transfer cooked pancakes to a baking sheet and place in a preheated 200F oven to keep warm.
- Ginger Molasses Maple Syrup – Combine all syrup ingredients in a small bowl or serving pitcher and whisk until smooth. Warm syrup mixture in microwave for about 30 seconds if desired. Pour over pancakes. Extra syrup will keep airtight in the refrigerator for many months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Have you had anything gingerbread or with molasses yet this season?
I love the gingerbread and molasses combo too. I just went to Starbucks and got myself a gingerbread latte with molasses drizzle, and it was like heaven in a cup.
These pancakes look fantastic. I’d skip the latte any time to start off my day with these pancakes
I am so out of touch with Starbucks b/c I just refuse to pay their prices, but omg a gingerbread latte with molasses drizzle sounds divine. You can wash the pancakes down with it :)
Seriously gorgeous, I love the syrup shots! Pinned!
thanks for pinning! :)
These really do look perfectly light and fluffy! And that syrup sounds unbelievable too. It’s recipes like this that make me love this time of year!
I have been craving pancakes non-stop lately, and these aren’t helping! They look so amazing, Averie!!!
Thanks, Ashley, and for saying hi! :)
The dripping syrup is killing me. Gorgeous photos!
I’m not a big pancake fan, but these sound like cakes or muffins, in pancake form – perfet. I also don’t like to fry in butter, because then I feel like everything just sort of tastes like….butter. And that’s good, but not when I want to taste gingerbread.
Thank you! Reflective, drippy, gravity, dark in color, translucent…there was plenty that could go wrong. It took me more than a frame or two to get things down pat :)
And everything you said about butter, so true. Really any oil-frying, the item at hand just becomes a sponge! It just keeps on soaking, the more you add, the more it sucks in!
My favorite breakfast spot in my college town had the BEST gingerbread pancakes, and I would get them every time I’d go! Would love to try to re-create them at home with this recipe – looks amazing, Averie!
I love stories like this! Hopefully these will help put you back in your old fave breakfast spot!
I hold my breath while I flip my pancakes! It’s terrifying! I make healthier oatcakes almost every weekend, and I still mutilate a few in every batch. Whomp whomp.
I recently doctored up some maple syrup for a KitchenAid recipe I wrote! I toasted pecans and then put them in the syrup and let the flavor develop over time. Oh my gosh, so good! I’ll never want plain maple syrup again!
Ok, you have me completely convinced to go to the store and buy a jar of molasses. Yes, my first ever jar of molasses (if I ever needed it in the past I’d wait until I was visiting my parents and use theirs because I knew I’d never need a whole jar). Now, I feel a need for gingerbread everything!
Yeah I think for 2.99 you need your own jar :) And your recipe for KA sounds wonderful! Wow…talk about flavor developing over time, YES!
Wow these look fabulous! I’ve got to satisfy my pancake craving asap now :)
WOW I can’t believe how thick and fluffy these pancakes are! I’ve never tried pancakes with molasses but sounds awesome. I love how you lined up those photos before the recipe, btw! :)
Thanks, Katy! Glad you like everything, including my little collage!
I would give anything for a few of these right now! They look so thick and fluffy!
I bet these smelled fenominal!
They did!
Gingerbread pancakes are the best! Like you said, they do taste like a big gingerbread cookie! Last time I made gingerbread pancakes, I served them with a homemade chocolate syrup, but guess I need to make them again, just so I can have them with that delicious-looking ginger molasses syrup!
homemade chocolate syrup sounds amazing on them! If you like the combo of gingerbread/chocolate, I urge you to make these. They’re one of the best things I made all year! https://www.averiecooks.com/soft-and-chewy-gingerbread-molasses-chocolate-chip-bars/
Oh man – those look amazing. I can almost smell them and the syrup. I wanted to lick my screen!
Holy Cow.. I was just scrolling down to comment on this lovely post and you made pass all of those insanely delicious looking holiday sweets! Yummy.. Your photos are wonderful, I am drooling.
Thanks for the compliments, Kylie!
I love the flavor of ginger and molasses too!! These pancakes are like a fluffy dream! A fluffy dream with sweet gingery syrup! YUM!
Wow! I love everything about these pancakes! They will be making an appearance at my house on Saturday morning!! :)
Really!? Well LMK if you do try them – I’d be honored! :)