Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Ultra rich and chocolaty, just like hot cocoa should be!
Texture: The pancakes are thick and tender, but the rich and creamy fudge topping with sticky pillowy marshmallows just takes it to a whole new level.
Ease: Super easy, takes less than 30 minutes!
Pros: Fun and festive breakfast treat.
Cons: Not an everyday breakfast.
Would I make this again? Absolutely!!
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These Hot Chocolate Pancakes are the perfect special occasion breakfast, brunch, or treat anytime you need a big chocolate fix.
I love to make these pancakes for breakfast on Christmas morning.
There’s so much that goes into the magic of Christmas morning. The anticipation, the pajamas, the food, the music, the presents, the Christmas tree, and of course, the sense of family and giving. As a kid, unwrapping the last present is sort of depressing. That means it’s almost all over.
But that also meant it was almost time for Christmas breakfast, which made the depressing fact that presents were done with that much easier to accept. Our family tradition was almost always cinnamon rolls. This year, however, I think I’ll be making these Hot Chocolate Pancakes! As a chocoholic, this recipe satisfies all my cravings instantly.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Hot Chocolate Pancakes
How to Make Fluffy Pancakes
- Measure your flour correctly. I recommend using a digital kitchen scale, but the ‘spoon and level’ method works too. Learn how to measure flour correctly here.
- Use fresh baking powder. Baking powder can lose its effectiveness long before the date printed on the packaging. Learn more about baking powder and baking soda here.
- Use buttermilk. Real buttermilk works best here. More on this just below.
- Don’t overmix the batter! Be gentle when mixing this Hot Chocolate Pancake recipe. There should be some lumps and even streaks of flour remaining in the batter. Even slight overmixing can produce pancakes that are rubbery and tough, instead of tender and fluffy.
Do I Have to Use Buttermilk for this Hot Chocolate Pancakes Recipe?
For the best results, yes, use real buttermilk. I have done extensive testing on buttermilk vs. buttermilk substitutes, and I really find that nothing quite compares to real buttermilk, as it functions differently on a chemical level compared to common substitutions. You can read about my experiments and see the side-by-side comparisons here.
If real buttermilk isn’t available to you, substitute whole milk – just note that your pancakes won’t be as light and fluffy, and will lose some flavor too.
How to Keep Hot Chocolate Pancakes Warm Before Serving
If you’re making a big batch of Hot Chocolate Pancakes, set your oven to 200°F and transfer the cooked pancakes to a cooling rack placed on a rimmed baking sheet. The cooling rack helps prevent the pancakes from getting soggy. Only keep the pancakes warm for about a half hour using this method, so they don’t dry out.
How to Freeze Hot Chocolate Pancakes
Place a sheet of parchment paper between layers of cooled Hot Chocolate Pancakes and place in an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Reheat in the microwave uncovered for about 1 minute, or until heated through.
More Chocolate for Breakfast Recipes:
- Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Fudge Waffles
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
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Ingredients
For the fudge topping:
- 3/4 cup (128 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
For the pancakes:
- 1 cup (127 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (25 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk or whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Mini marshmallows, for garnish
Instructions
Make the topping:
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and cream until melted. Stir until smooth. Set aside.
Make the pancakes:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir until just combined. Do not overmix, it’s okay to have lumps. At this point the batter can rest, covered, for up to 30 minutes.
- Heat an electric griddle to 350°F, or a large nonstick pan to medium heat. Coat with butter. Pour batter by 1/4 cup onto the hot pan, spacing apart. Cook until the edges are set and bubbles have formed on the top, about 2 to 3 minutes. Gently flip and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until done.
- Keep cooked pancakes warm in a 200°F oven while you finish the batter and get ready to serve. Stack pancakes on plates and top with the fudge sauce and mini marshmallows.
This post was originally published in 2016 but has been updated with additional recipe tips and baking science information.
These turned out so fluffy, moist and delicious! I doubled the recipe since there are six of us. I made a couple small changes due to high altitude, decreased baking powder and soda. I made a marshmallow sauce instead of regular marshmallows. My family loved them!
Delicious my kids loved them:)
Do I have to let the batter rest?
Tried it last weekend..it was a hit with my 7year old.Thank you
Wow! Looks great Tessa. Should probably double my workout routine after eating it 🙂 Thanks
had to dive into this recipe from the photo on the front page of your site, what a fund recipe! Christmas, or really any other day works for me, thank you for this and for the tip that you wouldn’t necessarily make this every day but still delicious, kinda like lobster cheesecake, super-rich and crazy but still really good!
It looks so delicious! I like them!
Oh my gosh! Looks damn delicious. Do you have a youtube channel? I can’t make it as tasty as you did.
Want to try these for Christmas. Says serves 4 but does any one know about how many there are if about 4 inches?
Want to know something similar, how many pancakes per serving? The picture shows 5 so will this recipe make 20 pancakes?
Hi Katie! It’s been quite awhile since we made these pancakes, but it only makes about 8 pancakes. If you’re looking to serve a larger crowd, I recommend doubling the recipe. Tessa has lots of other pancake recipes, too, if you wish to check those out 🙂
If I wanted to make plain pancakes instead of the chocolate ones, how would the ingredients change for that? For example, the amount of butter
If you have one, why not give those marshmallows a quick toasting with a crème brulee torch!? I’m definitely going to try this recipe out on my boys this year!
Absolutely! I try not to use mine in too many blog posts since I know most people don’t have one in their kitchen.
Very inviting idea ! Great bright photos ! Thank you !