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 donโt routinely keep buttermilk on hand, I highly recommend this Powdered Buttermilk. If you donโt use buttermilk much, but sometimes see a recipe that needs a half cup, but because you think you wonโt 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
- ยฝ teaspoon ground cloves
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- ยพ cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons light, medium, or dark molasses (not blackstrap; itโs too pungent)
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ginger Molasses Maple Syrup
- ยฝ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons light, medium, or dark molasses, or to taste
- ยฝ to 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
Instructions
- Pancakes โ 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; donโt 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.ย 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 โ 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 Syrupย โ 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?
Loving these!!! I’m going to gift the dry ingredients all layered in a pretty jar with the syrup in another. Thanks for the delicious recipes!
These look heavenly :) would make a fantastic christmas morning breakfast, I love them!
Are you sure those are actually gingerbread pancakes and not pillowy gingerbread cookies? Because those are the thickest, fluffiest, plushest pancakes I have ever seen! My god, they look like muffin tops or fat cookies.. I LOVE IT. And the syrup alone sounds intoxicating. Gimme a straw!!
They were like fat muffin tops. Trying to flip them without mutiliating them was a real act of faith (or act of God) LOL b/c they weighed like 5 lbs each. ha! :)
These fluffy beauties must smell like heaven! I love your breakfast-y recipes. :)
Today we are decorating gingerbread houses, a Christmas tradition. I thought what better way to start the day than with these pancakes. They are divine. It’s like eating gingerbread for breakfast. The flavors are intense but just perfectly balanced. I had mine without syrup. Just no need for me but my daughter did have syrup. She loved them.
Perfect in this icy weather we are having!
If the first photo didn’t convince me it would be the second one that did the trick..or the third one…or the syrup just drizzling perfectly down the sides. These look so amazing! I’ll HAVE to try them and link back to you!
Its 1 am right now and I am really tempted to get up and try these! Must.. Stay.. STRONG..
I adore how thick and fluffy these pancakes are. Seriously SOO thick I could devour these!! Growing up we always put our pancakes in the oven so we could all eat them together. The photos of the syrup dripping down the stack of pancakes are gorgeous! Hope you had a safe flight, enjoy Aruba. It’s tipping it down here today!!
Averie these are gorgeous. I think you and I are besties because we both are addicted to PB and molasses/gingerbread. I cannot get enough! I think I want molasses perfume…
I want perfume that’s made with like…the scent of birthday cake frosting and maybe PB with some notes of white chocolate. And I’m kind of being serious :)
I am totally making these tomorrow for breakfast Averie! They look heavenly – so fluffy and gingery – I know my boys will go crazy for them! Pinned!
Omg, really? Well if you do make them, LMK how they go and thanks for pinning!
Oh Av I’ve wanted to make a gingerbread pancake for a while now and you beat me too it!
They came out perfect!
Have a good weekend <3
Love this flavor for pancakes! I make pancakes every Saturday, but very rarely do I think to dress them up with spices and other flavors. These, however, look like pancakes I can’t miss out on! Love all that drippy syrup too!
THE. PERFECT. CHRISTMAS MORNING BREAKFAST!!!!
These look awesome! So moist and fluffy. I love the idea of gingerbread + pumpkin. Sounds like pancake heaven!
Good looking gingerbread pancakes! The photos make me wanna try some of these!
WOW these just look incredible! I love gingerbread and pancakes so much and mashing the two together must be heaven!!