Chocolate Pancakes
Chocolate Pancakes are soft, gently chocolatey, and not overly sweet. Think classic pancakes with a cocoa boost. They cook up fluffy, take well to a handful of chocolate chips if you want them, and don’t ask for fancy ingredients. Below you’ll find what you need, clear steps, and a few small tips to help you get a good stack without fuss.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (25 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (helps with extra lift)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk, preferably at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice, stirred into the milk
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, slightly cooled (or neutral oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional add-in: 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- Butter or oil for the pan
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. This keeps the cocoa from clumping later.
- In another bowl, whisk the milk with vinegar, then add the egg, melted butter, and vanilla. Quick whisk, nothing intense.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir with a spatula just until you don’t see dry patches. Lumpy is fine. Overmixing makes pancakes tough.
- Let the batter rest 5 minutes. It thickens a bit and the baking powder wakes up. Good moment to heat your pan.
- Warm a nonstick pan or griddle over medium heat. Lightly grease it. When a drop of water flicked on the surface dances, you’re ready.
- Scoop about 1/4 cup batter per pancake. If using chocolate chips, sprinkle them on the wet batter in the pan rather than stirring into the bowl.
- Cook until bubbles form on top and the edges look set, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until softly springy to the touch.
- Adjust heat as you go. If they brown too fast, lower it. Stack on a plate and cover loosely with a clean towel while you finish the batch.