For my daughter’s birthday we made Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes topped with strawberries, whipped cream, pure maple syrup and Butterfinger baking bits (these were really good!). The combination of peanut butter, chocolate, maple and whipped cream was super yummy. We have a birthday tradition that my kids can choose whatever they want to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner on their birthday. On the side, she wanted pigs ‘n blankets (little sausages wrapped in buttery crescent rolls). All in all breakfast was a huge success! I will share the recipes for both the chocolate chip pancakes and pigs ‘n blankets.
We make pancakes for our family almost every Saturday. They are usually whole wheat (which I LOVE and my kids are used to eating). That said, Dave made these pancakes and my daughter squealed in delight when she saw that they were made with white flour. I said, “You can thank dad for that.” She totally did! The recipe is simple and super quick to make.
The hardest part of making chocolate chip pancakes is to prevent the chocolate from melting and sticking to your griddle. The solution is pretty easy!
In order to keep the chocolate chips from making a mess, you need to mix up your pancake batter separately and pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto your griddle. While it is cooking, sprinkle as many chocolate chips on top of your pancake as you’d like on the raw side of the pancake. When the pancake bubbles and the edges are dull, quickly flip the pancake over. Cook this side until is is completely finished then remove it to a plate or platter. My husband has mastered the art of removing the finished chocolate chip pancake with little to no mess. You want to take your spatula on the edge of the cooked pancake and quickly flip if back over. Then remove the pancake with the chocolate-free side and place it on your plate. It works really well.
Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes cook best on a medium-high heat griddle.
Make sure your griddle is hot BEFORE you start cooking your pancakes. We sometimes like to take a few drops of water and sprinkle them onto the griddle. If they sizzle, it is ready. We use a Dacor griddle. We are lucky that it came with our house, honestly. It fits right on top of our gas range and cooks extremely evenly. I love having full control over the heat and use it all the time. 
The other secret to these pancakes is the toppings! Yum!!! I sometimes use butterscotch chips, but then I saw these Butterfinger baking bits and I must say I was pleasantly surprised! While I like Butterfinger chocolate peanut butter bars, I sometimes find them a little bit too crunchy. This baking bits were perfect! A little crunch and soft combined to a perfect texture. We decided to sprinkle them on top of the pancakes after they were done cooking. So glad we did! We used pure maple syrup which is why it has a more clear color as well as real whipped cream. While pure maple syrup is still super high in sugar content, I like to tell myself that it’s a little bit healthier:) 
We served our Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes with a cup of milk on the side as well as these pigs ‘n blankets. While not healthy, it made for a great birthday for my daughter and was worth the planned indulgence. For the pigs ‘n blankets, I really like to use the all beef little smokey cocktail links. They are small and cute and taste really good! I buy the canned buttery crescent rolls to make this a quick snack. Although the little sausages are pre-cooked, I like to heat them in a skillet just prior to rolling them. I open up the roll packaging and separate the triangles. These are way too big to use one triangle on one sausage. The quickest way I have found to cut these down is to use a pizza cutter. I usually cut each triangle into halves or thirds depending upon how many pigs ‘n blankets I want to make. I then place the sausage on the fat end of the triangle and roll it up. I bake it in a 375 degree F oven for 11-13 minutes or until a little bit golden on top. My kids LOVE these and relish the occasional treat.
Pigs ‘n Blankets make a perfect side to a breakfast dish or are a great appetizer for a party. It’s hard to eat just one! Overall I think this birthday breakfast was a success and made for one happy girl!
- 2 c flour (white or white wheat)
- 1 heaping T baking powder
- 2 T sugar
- 1 scant tsp. salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 c milk
- 3 T olive oil (you can also use melted butter in place of the oil)
- 1 c chocolate chips
- butterscotch chips
- strawberries
- fruit
- nuts
- whipped cream
- pure maple syrup
- Butterfinger baking bits
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients (EXCEPT the chocolate chips) together until they are well blended. I like to start with the dry ingredients and add the wet ones into the center slowing beating them in to the dry ingredients. This is especially important if hand mixing.
- Pre-heat your griddle on a medium-high heat. (Adjust as needed depending upon hotness of your griddle.)
- Cook batter on a hot griddle about ¼ at a time. I like using a scoop to measure out my pancake batter. It is the perfect size for muffins and pancakes.
- While the pancake is cooking, sprinkle some chocolate chips on top. When the pancake has bubbled on top and is dull on the edges, carefully flip it over.
- Allow other side of the pancake to cook.
- When it is done, carefully lift up the edge of the pancake and quickly flip it back over to the other side. This will prevent the chocolate from the chocolate chips from smearing.
- Remove the cooked pancake and place it on a plate or platter.
- Continue cooking the rest of the batter in the same manner.
- Serve warm and top with desired toppings.
- 2 packages refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 1 package little beef cocktail sausages
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Heat sausages in a skillet.
- Open the crescent roll dough packages and unroll them.
- Cut the triangle pieces in half or in thirds (until you get 35 triangles).
- Starting with the larger end, place the sausage on the crescent roll dough and roll it up.
- Place rolled sausages on a cookie sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
- Remove from oven and serve warm.
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This breakfast is always a winner! It’s no wonder that’s what our daughter wanted to eat for her birthday breakfast! I wish I could take credit for the flipping technique that keeps the spatula clean of melted chips; I got that from a friend, Graham, who showed the technique when cooking pancakes for my team at work. It is a wonderful tip!