Heart Shaped Pancakes with Mini Chocolate Chips

 
a breakfast treat Heart-Shaped Pancakes with Mini Chocolate  Chips 

Cook's Notes: Chocolate Chip Pancakes are light and fluffy homemade pancakes dotted with chocolate chips, making them the perfect breakfast for a special occasion or any day! They are a fun addition to your standard pancake batter which kids will love. Not a fan of chips to your pancakes? No problem, as these buttermilk pancakes can still be a stellar stand-alone recipe.  
Cooking Tips:

• Mix until just combined. The batter will be lumpy, but don’t keep mixing! If you over mix your pancakes will be tough and not light and fluffy.
• Gently fold in the chocolate chips. Remembering NOT to over mix!
• Let the batter sit for 5 minutes. Resting the batter lets the gluten relax and the lumps will smooth out slightly.
• Add a dollop of butter to your hot griddle or skillet and spread it around until it’s melted and your surface is greased.
• I’ve found that 1/3 cup batter is just right for pancakes when using a 4-inch heart shape cookie cutter. The batter is thick and fills in the cookie-cutter nicely. Be sure to grease inside of cookie-cutter so easier to remove when flipping over the pancake. 
  
  I used tongs to remove the cookie cutter once when one side of the pancake was done. Then I flipped heart shape pancake over.  If not using a heart shape cookie cutter batter can be thinned out with more buttermilk. 

Recipe adapted from twopeasandtheirpod.com and makes 4 large pancakes (heart-shaped) plus 5 regular-sized ones.  
Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for cooking
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• For serving: butter and maple syrup, if desired

Directions: 

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract together.
• Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter will be lumpy and that is ok. Gently fold in the chocolate chips. You don’t want to over mix the batter. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes.
• Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a pat of butter to the griddle or skillet and spread it around until melted.
• Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, spoon the batter onto the hot griddle or skillet. Cook until small bubbles form all across the top of the pancakes, about 3 minutes, then flip and continue to cook until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter.
• Serve pancakes warm with butter and maple syrup, if desired.