Gingerbread Pancakes

This is my first Christmas recipe of the season.  Christmas recipes include any type of cookie, foods with the gingerbread or eggnog, and party foods eaten with your hands.

Yesterday I decorated sugar cookies and drank hot cocoa in an apartment decorated with red and green stockings.  I also purchased some gifts on Amazon.  The Christmas season has started!

My mother is a difficult person to shop for.  I don't buy her cloths or home decorations because she has a particular taste.  I feel that books, movies, and music can be a little impersonal year after year.  I'm going to try and find a cool kitchen gadget to give her.  

I enjoy gingerbread.  In 2013, I posted about gingerbread waffles.  I think the warm, aromatic flavors are perfect for the holidays.  

I got this gingerbread pancake recipe from allrecipes.  I added more flour than directed because the batter was very wet.  I also added chocolate chips.

The ingredients are 2 to 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/3 teaspoon ground dried ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup molasses, 1 1/2 cups water, and 1/2 cups chocolate chips.

I added the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon into a big bowl.  I whisked the dry ingredients together.

In another bowl, I added the egg, vanilla, and molasses.

I whisked the egg, molasses, and vanilla together.

I whisked the water into the molasses mixture.

I added the chocolate chips and molasses concoction into the dry ingredients.

I whisked everything together.  This is when I added extra flour.  The recipe only calls for 1 1/2 cups but I ended up using almost 2 cups.

I cooked the pancakes in a hot, greased pan.  I flipped the pancakes when little bubbles started forming in the center.

I ate these pancakes with apple butter, a perfect combination.

I am not crazy about this recipe.  The pancakes had a strange texture.  They weren't fluffy but quite dense.

I have read the ingredients list over a few times to see if I forgot something, but I didn't.  Next time I'll use a different gingerbread pancake recipe.

 The spice blend and molasses was warm and festive.  The chocolate chips became creamy puddles of melted chocolate.  I think chocolate pairs well with gingerbread.  Overall, the pancakes were good but not great.