Triple Chocolate Pancakes

Got your pancake recipe ready for tomorrow, Pancake Tuesday? Consider celebrating with an extra special recipe for Triple Chocolate Pancakes!

With cocoa powder and chocolate chips in the batter, you may think you’re making a cake or brownies, but don’t be tempted to pour it into a cake pan and slide it into the oven. We really are making pancakes. Just chocolatey ones, finished off with a good drizzle of chocolate syrup. Some might consider this chocolate overload. For chocoholics, this may be the best way (the only way??) to eat pancakes.

If you don’t have a nonstick frying pan or griddle, you will need to grease your pan with a small amount of cooking oil, butter or margarine before making each batch of pancakes. I like to cook a test pancake to check my pan’s heat.

To serve all the pancakes at one time, keep cooked pancakes on a heatproof plate in a 200F oven until all the batter is cooked.

If you want to take these pancakes completely over the top, serve them with vanilla or chocolate ice cream. In season, sliced strawberries are a great addition. Instead of chocolate syrup, the pancakes can be served with maple syrup.

This recipe is easily doubled, or more appropriately tripled! Any leftover pancakes will freeze well.

Triple Chocolate Pancakes
(Makes 12 3-1/2 inch pancakes)

2 large eggs
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Cooking oil, butter or margarine
Chocolate sauce or hot fudge sauce

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until blended. Add milk and oil; whisk to combine.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa and salt until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Add dry ingredients to liquid ingredients; whisk just until combined. There should be some lumps in the batter.

Heat frying pan or griddle over medium heat (adding a small amount of oil to grease surface if using a nonstick pan) until a few drops of water scattered over surface sizzle and evaporate. Drop about 1/4 cup pancake batter per pancake onto pan, spreading batter slightly. Leave some room between pancakes; they will expand a little during cooking.

Pancakes are ready to flip when the edges appear set and the top is full of bubbles; this will take about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook second side until lightly browned, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.

As pancakes cook, serve them immediately or keep them warm in a 200F oven. Continue cooking remaining batter.

Serve pancakes with chocolate or hot fudge sauce.