What could be better than pancakes at Christmas? A recipe for my signature eggnog pancakes in adorable Christmas shapes! Cookie cutters aren't just for cookies anymore!
To top it all off (literally and figuratively), I am sharing my recipes for whipped cinnamon nutmeg butter AND drunken hot maple syrup. Santa won't know what hit him, and neither will you!
A Holiday To Remember
This year has been one for the record books. That is why it is important that we end this year with a bang! Whether you are spending the holidays with extended family or with just your nuclear family, look no further for Christmas breakfast ideas.
My eggnog pancakes are sweet, thick, and fluffy. I cook them on the stove in adorable metal cookie cutters. They are best served warm with whipped cinnamon nutmeg butter and a hot maple syrup that has a kick of bourbon.
Here are some more of my favorite recipes to serve at the holidays:
- Cupcakes with Fondant Snowman Cupcake Toppers
- "Hot Toddy" Spice Cake
- Easy and Sophisticated Raspberry Brie Puff Pastry Tartlets
- Tomato Bisque with Grilled Cheese Croutons
- The BEST Spiced Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ideas to Make Your Home Festive for the Holidays
With the holiday season in full swing, it’s the perfect time to spruce up your home with festive décor. If you are looking for a way to change up your decorations this year while having fun with the whole family, try filling your home with edible decorations. Creating edible decorations is easy, unique, and they will make your home smell great.
To give you some ideas, Redfin reached out to experts from Stafford, TX to Hamilton, ON, including us, to share our tips on how you can create edible decorations for your home this holiday season. Check out my tip on Edible Decorations You Can Make to Sweeten Your Home for the Holidays.
How Do You Make Pancakes From Scratch?
It is easy enough to get a box of pancake mix and add some milk and eggs to it. Boxed pancake mixes can be a quick and easy way to serve breakfast on a busy weekend. However, it is also easy to make pancakes from scratch and they taste SO. MUCH. BETTER.
Boxed pancake mix essentially contains the dry ingredients that are listed in any from-scratch pancake recipe. So, if you have a little extra time to make your morning special, think about trying this recipe out! You can use this exact recipe to make regular (non-eggnog) pancakes if you substitute the eggnog with whole milk.
What Makes A Good Pancake?
In my opinion, these are the characteristics of a good pancake:
- Thick
- Fluffy
- Light
- Sweet, but not too sweet
- Hint of salt
My eggnog pancakes satisfy all of my requirements listed above PLUS they are in super cute Christmas shapes! Cooking them in metal cookie cutters is such a good way to have them retain their shape and fluffiness. They also tend to cook more evenly in cookie cutters!
What Is The Trick To Making Fluffy Pancakes?
There are a few reasons why this recipe yields pancakes that are so light and fluffy, it's like biting into a pillow.
- The recipe contains a leavening (or rising) agent (baking powder)
- The batter is a little thick - it resembles a cake or muffin batter
- The metal cookie cutters help them retain their thickness
- When they are cooked with a lid on during the first few minutes, it is easier to flip them and they are less likely to thin out
Can I Substitute Milk For Eggnog In This Recipe?
A very enthusiastic YES! Be sure to replace it with whole milk, though. If you choose a milk with a lower fat content, be sure to decrease the overall amount of milk by about ½ cup.
This recipe is perfect for year-round fluffy pancakes. You can choose to cook them in normal, circular pancake style. Or, if you are feeling creative, you can use any metal cookie cutters you choose to make cute, fluffy pancake shapes.
Be sure your cookie cutters are metal. Plastic cookie cutters are a no-no. You don't want to ruin your pan with melty goo!
Essential Tools
Please note, this post contains affiliate links which means I will receive a small commission on the sale of these items at no cost to you.
All of my posts contain my recommendations for essential tools. I have researched these tools. Many of them are already in my kitchen. The ones that are not come highly rated. I do the research so you don’t have to and I only recommend high-quality tools.
If you are just starting to furnish your kitchen with tools or if you are looking to expand your kitchen toolkit, be sure to reference Expert Guide: Equip Your Kitchen for Less Than $200. This guide contains links to all of the equipment items I recommend for a basic kitchen set up.
My essential tools when making this eggnog pancake recipe include the following:
Festive Eggnog Pancakes with Whipped Cinnamon Nutmeg Butter and Hot Drunken Maple Syrup
Ingredients
Eggnog Pancakes
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 large egg beaten
- 3 tbsp. salted butter melted and cooled
- 1 ¼ cups eggnog homemade or store-bought
- ¾ cups whole milk
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
- non-stick spray
- metal cookie cutters of your choice
Cinnamon Nutmeg Whipped Butter
- ½ cup butter softened (1 stick)
- ¼ tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Drunken Hot Maple Syrup
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp. bourbon
Instructions
For The Pancakes
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk dry ingredients together: flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg.
- Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients: egg, butter, eggnog, milk. Batter should resemble cake or muffin batter but should pour relatively easily. Pour pancake batter into a large liquid measuring cup with a spout.
- Spray the interior of your cookie cutters liberally with non-stick cooking spray. Place them on the bottom of a skillet. Heat skillet to medium-low.
- Gently drizzle pancake batter into each cookie cutter, filling the cookie cutter about halfway. Place a lid on top of the skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- After 3-4 minutes, lift lid and flip cookie cutters/pancakes using tongs. Be careful not to burn yourself! If the cookie cutter releases the pancake during this step, don't worry. Just remove the cookie cutter and flip the pancake to cook it on the opposite side.
- Place lid on skillet for 1-2 minutes. Using tongs, remove fully cooked pancakes from skillet. Allow to cool slightly and using the back of a small spoon and tongs, punch out cooked pancakes from the cookie cutters.
- Repeat steps with the rest of the pancake batter. For best results, wipe skillet out with a dry paper towel between batches. Wipe off any residual pancake crumbs from cookie cutters and spray them liberally with cooking spray between batches, as well.
For The Whipped Cinnamon Nutmeg Butter
- In a small mixing bowl, combine butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Using a hand mixer fitted with 2 beaters, whip butter until it becomes light and fluffy - about 1-2 minutes.
For The Hot Drunken Maple Syrup
- In a small saucepan, combine maple syrup and bourbon.
- Place saucepan on burner set to low and gradually heat mixture until it is time to serve. *NOTE: Omit bourbon if kids are present (of course!). I still suggest heating the maple syrup on the stove - it just makes the whole dish feel more festive and special!
Kara
These look AMAZINGGGGGGG
Trendgredient
Thank you! They are super light and fluffy - let me know if you try the recipe out! Merry Christmas!
Judee
I love the idea of using cookie cutters to make pancake shapes - never thought of it. Looks like a wonderful recipe and your plate of pancakes is festive and appealing.
Trendgredient
Thank you, Judee! I made these during the holidays and they were a hit with my family. Happy New Year! 🙂
Swarley
The flavor was delicious. Everyone loved them, even with ‘virgin’ syrup.
Tried the cookie cutters, but made way too big of a mess. Used two 6” cast iron skillets and made round pancakes. Much simpler.
Trendgredient
I am glad the flavor was good and the cast iron skillets were a fantastic idea! I am sorry the cookie cutters didn't work out for you. They do take a little practice. I hope you had a wonderful holiday and I wish you the best for the new year! 🙂