Looking for a pick-me-up to kill the post-Christmas blues? These gingerbread pancakes are easy to mix together the night before, just leaving the liquid ingredients until just before tossing on a hot griddle. They’re perfect served with butter and syrup, but add a bit of orange zest and you’ll be in breakfast heaven.
I dislike the post-Christmas week. You’ve worked and planned and baked and cleaned, hid gifts and wrapped them with anticipation. Perhaps you even squealed with delight as dinner was served and gifts were exchanged and opened. But today. Today, the party is over, and there’s still so much to do with all the cleaning, organizing and getting back to work.
So, rather than sulk around while I pick up the pieces of Christmas past, I’m celebrating the coming of the New Year with pancakes. Not just any pancakes, though. Gingerbread pancakes with plenty of spice and flavor to make me feel all warm and cozy tucked in the house away from the cold with my own personal soundtrack coming through the speakers and the Christmas carols behind me as I pack away ornaments until next year.
Start by mixing together all the dry ingredients: flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, plenty of cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves and nutmeg. I use a whisk because it breaks up clumps, especially brown sugar clumps.
Separate from those dry ingredients take 4 tablespoons of melted but slightly cooled butter. Add in eggs and beat together.
Along with the milk.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until mixed.
But don’t worry about lumps. In the pancake world, overmixing is bad and lumps are good.
And then cook your pancakes up in a greased pan over medium heat. Forget about pictures. I got distracted trying to pour batter into cookie cutters to make cute pancakes, which, as it turns out, doesn’t work so well if you have nothing to hold the cookie cutter down with. I haven’t completely given up, though. A gingerbread-man-shaped gingerbread pancake will be mine eventually. I’m thinking a squirt bottle à la Jim may be necessary.
Gingerbread men or not, the recipients of these pancakes were eager to dig in.
And with good reason.
Whether you’re battling the post-Christmas blues or you’re just the snowed-in and buried, whip up a few cheery pancakes for a brighter outlook on the next 3 months of winter ahead of us. You could also pretend I didn’t remind you that there are three months of winter ahead. That may help a bit, too.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark brown brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups whole milk
4 tablespoons melted butter, partially cooled
Whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg in a large bowl. Beat eggs, milk and melted butter and then stir into the flour mix just until wet, leaving a few lumps. On a medium heat in a pan or on a flat griddle melt butter to grease and cook pancakes until lightly browned on both sides.
Serve with butter and a bit of orange zest and pure maple syrup.
Makes approximately 20 medium-sized pancakes.
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Shaina, these look totally scrumptious! I’m going to turn them into ebelskivers like we talked about.
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I can’t wait to see how they turn out, and I am jealous. I wish I lived close enough to come and try them with you!
I’ve got to try these soon!
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Shaina these look incredible. Beautiful pics, mmm syrup with the orange zest. Lovely!
oh WOW Shaina….I’ve always been a big fan of pumpkin pancakes, but I if these taste half as good as they sound……pumpkin will have to take a back seat!
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Santa brought me some fantastic maple syrup…think we have a winning pair to make on New Year’s Day. In other news, your photos, as always, are STUNNING. I love that ribbon of zest with the pop of green.
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These look just *perfect* for a New Year’s Day breakfast! Hope that you had a Merry Christmas Shaina!
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You drew the perfect picture of a lonely, empty, and undecorated house with your words, and with your photograph, and recipe – a warm, bright, sunny and spicy hug…
I hope to take the tree down New Year’s Day. Not yet. Too much catching up to do with entertaining. For me… this week is my first rest and real time to enjoy the people I haven’t seen for awhile.
Valerie
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Ah…these would be a hit in my home, even though we’re still dragging Christmas out as long as possible.
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Yum! I’m not ready to give up on Christmas flavors yet, so I’ll definitely have to make these pancakes sometime this week.
These pictures are GORGEOUS! I can almost smell the oranges and the gingerbread!
Oh no, don’t be blue……so much to look forward to with the new year. I could dive into a steamy plate of your beautiful gingerbread pancakes. Love the addition of orange zest for flavor. Beautiful photography Shaina! xo
I can’t wait to make these! I’ve been waiting for you to post the recipe.
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Delicious I plan on making these New Years Day for breakfast, what a treat!
Josh is home all week and we made pancakes yesterday. I think we will have to make them tomorrow so we can try your recipe. Yum!
We made these this morning and they were a big hit, even with my 13 month old who wont normally eat regular pancakes. We served them wit buttermilk syrup (cant find the real stuff where we are in Italy) and they were fantastic. The orange is a perfect accompaniment. I like to make pancakes sometimes once a week and I will gladly add this to the rotation
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Nomnomnom Fantastic looking girl…. and something I would be happy to feed my kids!!
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I can practically smell them just from looking at the pictures. Mmm! Happy New Year, my friend! xo
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These sound DELICIOUS! I love gingerbread!
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And there is our weekend breakfast!
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Just made these for brunch this morning with our neighbors and they were such a hit!!! Absolutely delicious. Thanks!!
When we make gingerbread pancakes I automatically reach for the molasses, though I’m thinking a switcheroo to dark brown sugar (plus a grating of orange zest) would be a nice change! Have you ever tried using buttermilk, or turning the whole milk into buttermilk? Puffy gingerbread pancakes! Saturday morning can’t come soon enough.
Cheers,
*Heather*
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Yum, these look so good! Does it get any better than gingerbread + pancakes??!
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