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These Christmas Pancakes with Orange & Clove bring all your favorite Yuletide flavors to the breakfast table. They're bright and beautifully spiced. Christmas morning is going to be awesome.
I freakin' love Christmas morning, man. The anticipation of all the excitement was more than I could stand a a child, and I'd inevitably wake up around 5 am and sneak upstairs to investigate the present situation. My mom loved making Christmas over the top, so it was always impressive. My parents were not early risers, though, so I'd put the TV on with the volume way down and just daydream and wait.
To this day, I still wake up extra early on Christmas morning, even though there are far fewer presents, and I can actually buy myself whatever I want whenever I want. There's still something so magical about that moment when you open your eyes and you know a surprise is waiting for you. And it helps to know that it's going to be followed by an absolutlely delicious and indulent breakfast.
What makes these Christmas Pancakes so awesome?
To make these Christmas Pancakes, I started with my classic buttermilk pancake recipe, and added some winter flavors. Orange, clove, and cinnamon are all flavors that are deeply tied to Yule and later Christmas, and they give these pancakes a beautifully wintery flavor that I couldn't stop raving about.
The flavor is definitely noticable but not overpowering. Topped with butter and maple syrup, these fluffy pancakes taste bright from the orange zest but also deeply comforting from the spices. I think kids and grown ups alike will enjoy them. You can dish them out a few at a time to eagerly waiting guests or keep them warm in the oven before bringing the whole big stack to the table. Everyone will love them and probably want more.
Magical Properties of Clove
Clove has a sort of dark energy to me, not evil, but just heavy and intense. It's commonly used in spells for lust, as it's considered an aphrodisiac. It can also be used to call in money and prosperity. Ruled by Jupiter and the element of fire, add cloves to your working when you're looking for expansion and passion. (Source: The Hearth Witch's Compendium by Anna Franklin)
To learn more about the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.
Ingredients
Here's everything you'll need to make these pancakes. The full details are in the recipe card below.
- Flour - all-purpose or plain flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda - aka bicarbonate of soda
- Salt
- Sugar - caster or granulated sugar
- Ground clove
- Ground cinnamon
- Eggs
- Buttermilk - use kefir if you can't get buttermilk
- Butter - melted then slightly cooled
- Orange zest
Tips for making Christmas Pancakes
This is a standard method of mixing dry and wet ingredients separately, and then bringing them together as quickly and lightly as possible. The less you can stir your mixture once wet and dry meet, the ligher and fluffier your pancakes will be.
The spices are added to the dry ingredients, and the zest is added to the wet mixture. Make sure you zest the orange right over the wet mix so that you catch all the essential oils. That's where the flavor is.
When cooking your pancakes, be sure the pan or griddle is properly heated before you begin. You'll know it's time to flip when the pancakes are just set around the edges.
I love these Christmas Pancakes with orange and clove, and I think you will too. Let me know what you think in the comments.
Looking for more awesome pancake recipes? Try these Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pancakes or some delicious Whole Wheat Pancakes.
PrintChristmas Pancakes with Orange & Clove
These Christmas Pancakes with Orange & Clove bring all your favorite Yuletide flavors to the breakfast table. They're bright and beautifully spiced. Christmas morning is going to be awesome.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 pancakes 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 270 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 42 grams (3 tablespoons) sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground clove
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) butter, melted and slightly cooled
- Zest of 1 orange
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and clove. Mix the dry ingredients well with a whisk.
- In a small bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter. Zest your orange right into this mixture. Whisk to combine.
- Pour your wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients and quickly and gently mix them together with a rubber spatula. You should use a fold/stir hybrid method. Don't worry about getting out every little lump. Try not to stir for more than 10 seconds. This is the key to tender pancakes.
- Now walk away for five minutes to let the batter rest.
- Preheat your griddle to 350 (if you're lucky enough to have one, I don't.) or place of a non-stick skillet over medium heat. You definitely want to have your pan preheated before you add the batter.
- Add a small pat of butter to your pan or griddle. Use a paper towel to spread it evenly across your cooking surface.
- Now start cooking your pancakes. I use a third cup measure to drop my pancake batter into the pan, creating a medium-sized pancake.
- Cook about two minutes a side, turning when you see the bubbles start to subside and the edges start to change color.
- Keep pancakes warm by covering your stack with a clean dish towel.
- Serve hot with plenty of butter and maple syrup or your favorite toppings.
Follow me on Pinterest for more awesome Yule and Christmas ideas.
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