Chocolate Chip Pancakes

We all remember Saturdays mornings when Mom would wake us up early for one of the best breakfasts we would have all week, chocolate chip pancakes. The aroma would fill the house from the second the batter hit the griddle. Just thinking about it brings back all kinds of nostalgic feelings inside. It would be hard to find anyone who doesn't enjoy a whole-wheat buttermilk chocolate chip pancake made from scratch! There are many kinds of pancakes, not just the chocolate variety. There are banana, cherry, blueberry, and even apricot. Adding fruit into the batter is a common occurrence these days with seasonal things like plantains and strawberries being available year-round in the local supermarket.

The pancake originated in ancient Greece as a whole-wheat bread made with olive oil, honey, milk, and wheat that was served at breakfast time! A good thing truly lasts forever. Another variety of pancake was made by using spelt, cheese, and sesame. This was served at dinnertime. The pancake idea is simple, a bread that is sweetened and usually eaten for breakfast. The French have their version of the pancake called the crepe. It is seen as more high-class than a pancake due to it's more tedious process from batter to plate. A good French chef can make a great crepe, and make it very thin, as the thinner the better. This is then stuffed with plenty of fruit, whipped cream, and other savory fillings including breakfast meats such as sausage, bacon, ham, blood pudding. In the Netherlands, a pancake called a Pannenkoekon is served at nighttime with a dark cheese and bacon. Glazed sweet root vegetables like ginger and sweet potato are also sometime to be found. There is a strong history of these in their native cooking styles and each dish seems to be formulated based on these same ideas. The Scottish pancakes more closely resemble today's American pancake, consisting of the basics: egg, flour, and milk. Syrup shows up around these parts and is very popular. Infact, they eat it not just for breakfast but all around the clock. They almost eat them more than Americans do! Almost but not quite. The American pancake is ubiquitous for breakfast. When you say "breakfast" in America, it is assumed that the pancake is somehow involved, if not the main player in the game. There are established corporations that center their business around the pancake, offering many different flavors of syrups, recipes, and fruit included in the cake. It would be a tall order to find someone that doesn't enjoy pancakes, and this writer would much rather spend time eating them instead! INGREDIENTS

• 1 1⁄4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 3⁄4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄3 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat fry pan (griddle or skillet for Americans).
2. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
3. Mix together wet ingredients and beat into dry mixture until smooth.
4. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Pour or spoon batter into fry pan in desired quantity.
6. Flip when top begins to bubble, then cook a minute more.

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