Tips To Making Perfect Valentine's Day Pancakes!

Heart shaped pancakes are sweet to make and eat

I am so excited about Valentine's Day!  I almost always have to work before or during, and my kids have to settle with what I can slap together at the last minute.  This year, I have off the day before and the day of Valentine's Day so I am prepping ahead and will be ready to go!  These are easy and fun, just be sure to purchase or find your heart shaped cookie cutter before starting.

Here are some tips to making your pancake breakfast easy and fun!

A pretty red plate for Valentine's Day makes even breakfast special

1 - Make them the day before!  There is no reason to not make your pancakes the day before.  By making them ahead, you will save time making them and cleaning up in the morning so you can actually enjoy the meal with your family.

2 - Batter consistency.  My instructions on my box called for far less milk than I actually used.  Why?  The batter was way too thick and could not be poured from a ladle.  If your batter is so thick it doesn't drizzle from the ladle, keep adding a tablespoon at a time until it is the consistency you want.   Nothing is worse than thick goopy pancakes!

3 - Butter on a fork.  Yep, I said it.  Put your butter on a fork and use a small plate to rest it in between use on the griddle.  I find non-stick sprays to be a bit bland.  By using the butter on the griddle, I add the great buttery taste and that means I don't have to add more on their plates.  Keep it on the fork and you will use less than cutting pats of butter.

4 - Try mini-chocolate chips.  Those little chocolate chips spread out easier and you will use less total chips which means less sugar!

5 - Make sure pancake is big enough for your heart cutter!   Once you put the batter on the griddle, hold your cookie cutter over the pancake and make sure it is big enough to cut later.

6 - Cool, cut and bag.  Let your pancakes rest a few minutes before moving to a cutting board to cut them into heart shapes.  If your pancakes stick, spray the heart with a little non stick spray.  Place into a large zip top bag when completely cool and store in the fridge.

I like to re-heat my pancakes on an oven proof platter in a 200degree oven while I am cooking bacon.  That should be plenty of time to warm them up, without overcooking them.  For a sweet touch, dust with powdered sugar and sliced strawberries.