Grammy on the Go
By Karen Shadrach
When the grandkids come to your house for a sleepover, you want to prepare a breakfast for them that will be both nutritious and fun to eat. Most children love pancakes and here are some ideas to make them extra special. Pancakes aren’t just for breakfast; you can serve these for any meal of the day, or even as a snack.
Our favorites are animal mini-pancakes, made with a non-stick mini-pancake pan. The littles request these all the time, and are quick and easy to prepare. These pans can be purchased from Amazon and there are many different design options, such as dinosaurs, emoji smiley faces, trucks and cars and unicorns. If you are a grandparent, you need one of these, or at least to buy one for a gift! These little pancakes are small enough to pick up and eat, dipping in a syrup of your choice.
Another fun pancake to make is one that is stenciled with powdered sugar. First, make a fairly large pancake, and then decorate by placing a stencil gently on the top. Spoon some powdered sugar in a bowl and let the child sprinkle it, using a back and forth motion, over the entire stencil. I have found that using a sieve allows for easier distribution of the sugar. Remove the stencil and you have a beautiful image, ready to eat! (This one can be a bit messy, but turns out really well.)
Picasso pancakes can be made using pancake molds. These molds can be purchased, either silicon or stainless steel, and can also be used to make large cookies or biscuits. Divide pancake batter and place in smaller bowls. Then, add 1-2 drops of a different food coloring in each bowl. Pour or spoon the colored batter into the molds to create colorful pancakes. Or, you can let your grandkids pour the different colors directly onto the fry pan to create their own multi-colored pancake.
Large and small pancakes can be combined to create forms, such as bears, robots or snowmen. Use chocolate or strawberry syrup to draw on outlines or facial features.
Pancake roll-ups are also a favorite that the grandkids enjoy making themselves. Make a medium to large pancake, spreading the batter out so that it is thinner. When cooked on both sides, remove it from the pan and place a pre-cooked sausage or bacon strip in the center of the pancake. Also, berries, banana slices or syrup can be added if desired. Then, roll it all up and eat like a burrito!
Of course, all off the above pancakes can be made with the addition of berries or chocolate chips to the batter. If preferred, the extras can be placed on top of the pancakes after cooking. Extra fancy or special pancakes are made with a dollop of whipped cream on top!
Lastly, one more type of fun pancake is the ebelskiver. Ebelskivers are Danish pancakes filled with jam and these pancake balls are so delicious and fun to make! An ebelskiver pan is required to make these, as well as a special pancake batter. Ebelskivers with Lingonberry Jam can be made as follows…
In a small bowl, whisk together:
1C flour
1/2 t baking powder
¼ t salt
1 ½ t sugar
In a large bowl, whisk together 2 egg yolks (save the whites), 1 C milk, and 2 T of melted, unsalted butter.Stir this into the dry ingredients (batter will be lumpy).
Take the 2 egg whites and beat until stiff (approx. 3 min) and fold into the batter.
Add 1/4 t butter into each of the wells of the ebelskiver pan, and then add 1T of the batter.
Top this with 1 teaspoon of lingonberry or jam of your choice, then an additional 1 T of the batter.
Cook for approximately 4 minutes before flipping to cook another 3 minutes, or until golden. Turning these donut rounds is easiest using toothpicks or chopsticks. Remove from the pan, sprinkle with confectioners or cinnamon sugar and serve with warm maple syrup!
Photos by Karen Shadrach
