Transform ordinary pancakes into Valentine pancakes easily with the following tips:

1. A heart-shaped pancake is very impressive, but very easy to make. Fill a squeeze bottle or decorator bag with pancake batter, then free-hand a heart on the heated pancake griddle. Another option is to use a handy heart-shaped pancake mold. You’ll get perfect results, every time.

2. Tint the pancake batter with red food coloring, or make maraschino-cherry studded pancakes by mixing some chopped cherries into the pancake batter. Replace some of the liquid in the recipe with some maraschino cherry juice for a delicate pink hue. Very pretty!

3. Simply sprinkle some tiny pastel candy hearts onto the cooking pancake before you flip it.

And don’t forget presentation! Arrange those pancakes in a neat stack on a platter or your sweetie’s plate. Sprinkle some little candy hearts around the pancakes, and/or, top the pancakes with a little heart-shaped pat of butter. You may even want to try pouring the syrup on in a heart shape, but depending on the thickness of the syrup, that may be a little difficult to control!

Finally, what better way to start Valentine’s Day than by serving your sweetie breakfast in bed? Valentine pancakes are the perfect treat to serve!

Suddenly pancake mixes take on a whole new meaning. They’re not just pancake mixes anymore–they’re cookie mixes, too. At least, they are when you know how to turn them into cookies.

So how do you do this?

Read on:

Pistachio Pudding Pancake Cookies
While the recipe calls for pistachio pudding mix, you could use any flavor and this makes for many delicious variety choices!

Is it possible to make cookies from pancake batter mix?

This Harvest Pancakes recipe uses mashed pumpkin or sweet potato spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg for a full-flavored, satisfying autumn treat.

We’ve put together a delicious collection of pumpkin pancake resources that is sure to delight your taste buds:

Pumpkin Pancake Recipes:

At-Home Pumpkin Pancakes

Apple-Pumpkin Oven Pancake Recipe

Libbys Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

Pumpkin Pancake Mixes:

Fall Serving Platters:

And for serving those pumpkin pancakes, don’t forget presentation. A fall harvest platter gives the perfect finishing touch!

Pancake Restaurants

Also keep in mind that this is the time of year that the restaurants also break out their pumpkin pancake recipes. Stop in at your local breakfast restaurants and see for yourself, or call ahead.

We’ve seen pumpkin pancakes offered at these restaurants:

The Original Pancake House
Denny’s
IHOP

Finally, Please let us know about any restaurant where you’ve enjoyed great pancakes, whether it be pumpkin or any other kind!

Popular pancake varieties include chocolate chip, blueberry, or strawberries and cream.  Keep the season and party theme in mind.  If you’re having a fall “little pumpkin” baby shower, make pumpkin pancakes.  Winter?  Eggnog pancakes.  Make heart-shaped pancakes in February.  You get the idea!

You could even set up a pancake bar, complete with flavored syrups, butter, whipped cream, fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips, sausages, and eggs.

Feeling creative?  Why not pour the pancake batter in a squeeze bottle and use this to create fun “baby shape” pancakes, such as the letter “B” for baby? Another fun baby-related idea is to sprinkle the batter with tiny colorful baby-themed edible candies, which you can find at a party store, baking store, or online.

However you choose to serve the pancakes, your guests will surely flip for joy!

* Article courtesy of NewbornBib.com, where you can find many baby-related articles, resources, and products!

Pancake mixes make wonderful gifts, too.  You can be sure they won’t sit around collecting dust!

As the book’s synopsis explains:

“Pancake traverses over centuries and civilization to examine the culinary and cultural importance of pancakes in human history.”

Chapters include:

What is a Pancake?
Comfort Food
Celebration
Street Food
Working-class Food
Fine Dining

Written by a professor of history, Pancake does not focus on pancake recipes, though some are featured; this is a more scholarly work, yet still quite readable and enjoyable.

This clever book is highly recommended to all pancake enthusiasts.

Published by Reaktion Books in 2008, you can buy a copy of Pancake: A Global History below. For pancake recipe books, shop our Pancake Store.

Spring is here and strawberries are showing up in grocery store ads . . .