Hello lovelies,
on weekends we love a long, slow breakfast, and when the kids get to choose, they almost always pick these chocolate-filled pancakes. Every fluffy pancake hides a center of chocolate hazelnut spread that melts as it cooks and runs out when you cut into it. Add fresh strawberries and a little powdered sugar, and Saturday morning is saved.
Chocolate and pancakes simply belong together in our house. If you prefer the chocolate right in the batter, my fluffy chocolate pancakes are a vegan recipe with chocolate chips that has been with our family for years.
The frozen chocolate spread trick
To make sure the filling really stays in the middle, I freeze the chocolate spread first. I place it on parchment one teaspoon at a time, spread each portion into a flat disc and let it harden in the freezer for at least 1 hour. In the skillet, one disc goes onto the batter, another spoonful of batter goes on top, and as the pancake cooks the spread slowly melts into a soft center.
You don't need any eggs for these pancakes, by the way. Plant milk with a splash of apple cider vinegar turns into a kind of buttermilk, and together with baking soda and baking powder the batter rises beautifully light. The only important thing is not to stir it for too long, a few small lumps are perfectly fine.
If you are making breakfast for a crowd and don't want to stand at the stove forever, my sheet pan apple pancake is a lovely alternative. All the batter goes into the oven at once.
With our pancakes there is always a big bowl of strawberries or, when they are out of season, a few banana slices and berries from the freezer. And of course there is an argument over who gets the pancake with the biggest chocolate center.
Chocolate hazelnut spread is a big favorite in our family anyway, for example in my chocolate hazelnut babka with cardamom, which lands on our table on Sunday mornings.
I wish you a cozy weekend breakfast. Tell me what you like to fill your pancakes with.
