It's the holidays!

Bloggers every where are posting their cookie recipes and for a few days now I've seen 12 days of cookies, so I thought, why not do a 12 days of pancakes!

As the year has gone by, we've stayed pretty committed to the Year of the Pancake. We have tried so many, and minus some weekends lost to travel, we've kept up! Or at least tried to catch up as much as possible!

The only thing I haven't caught up on is posting the recipes.

Whoops!

This is my semi-sprint to the finish line!

There's no way I'll get all the recipes up before the end of the year but my goal is to post one each day until Christmas.

12 posts. 12 recipes. 12 delicious pancakes.

Just in time for all your Christmas brunches and get togethers!

Part of why I haven't posted recipes very quickly is that writing a recipe is difficult. I know a lot of you might think how hard can it be to list ingredients and type out some directions. Maybe don't spend so much time on the back story. No one cares anyways!

But here's the thing: I started this blog, because I wanted to encourage people to try things. That means I can't just post pretty pictures of food. I have to help that person create it themselves. I spend a lot of time on my recipes to make sure the directions are clear. And to make sure I've included information for anyone who may be trying to cook for the first time!

I know how discouraging it can feel when you try something for the first time and it's a total disaster. I don't want someone who comes here wanting to create something to feel like they can't do it.

That being said! This is the perfect first recipe to post for the 12 Days of Pancakes!

Chocolate Chip Pancakes!

Super simple and you're probably wondering why I'm even bothering.

Because simple things can be absolutely wonderful!

We're constantly bombarded with over the top food items that are incredibly extra. Extra ingredients. Extra steps. Extra time.

This post is a friendly reminder before you try and make something trendy, or over the top. Before you stress out over the picture perfect contribution to the holiday potluck. Before you spend hours trying to decorate something when you could be spending time with family and friends.

The important part is enjoying food you love with people you love.

We made these chocolate chip pancakes pretty early in the year. We had a weekend that was hectic and full of activities. Creating these pancakes takes time, planning and preparation.

With everything already on our plates (no pun intended), we decided to keep it simple.

It was a good way to remind ourselves that this whole Year of the Pancake was really about spending time together, creating and enjoying something we both love.

What I loved about these pancakes is that it's a lot of the stuff you would either need for cookies, or would have around the house anyways.

We used half milk chocolate chips and half dark chocolate chips, because I had 1/4 cup of each and I LOVE FINISHING THINGS!

It was so satisfying to finish both of the little bags. But you can just use 1/2 a cup of either. Or add more!

It's the holidays and calories don't count!

Because the batter is simple, you can spend more time in perfecting flipping the pancakes. This step is key in getting perfectly fluffy pancakes.

It requires some patience and careful monitoring of the pancakes.

I do not have either of these talents. Pancake flipping is all Greg. That's what makes us a team.

Keep in mind that everyone's stove is a little different and everyone has one burner that gets way hotter than anyone ever asks for. Do not rush the pan to get hot, because if it gets too hot it will take very long to cool. The majority of the cooking happens on one side. If it's too hot, that side of the pancake will burn.

On a medium-low heat, the pancake can cook slowly and fluff up.

You want to look for some bubbles around the edges of the pancake and then flip. Cooking on the other side of the pancake should only take a minute.

This will take some practice, as well as some trial and error with your stove. So don't feel deterred if the first few aren't great!

It's worth the effort for soft, fluffy pancakes. If you rush it, they can come out dense and overcooked.

Give it a shot!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 3 Tbsp sugar

• 1 1/2 cups skim milk

• 2 Tbsp low fat butter - melted

• 2 eggs, separated

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Combine all dry ingredients, except chocolate chips.

2. Add milk, butter, and egg yolks until combined.

3. Add egg whites, folding into batter until just mixed. As you start to flip the pancakes you may find a little string of egg white. Just try and break it up or mix it in if you come across it. You don't want to over mix the batter too much right away.

4. Fold in the chocolate chips. Adding more if you want a higher pancake to chocolate chip ratio.

5. In a non stick skillet, add about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until small bubbles form around the edges, and flip, cooking on other side for about another minute.

6. Top with butter, syrup, or whipped cream as desired.

Keep an eye out for more pancakes!

Until tomorrow, I hope your holidays brunches are filled with the softest and fluffiest pancakes!