Dessert For Breakfast.

This entry was posted in Breakfast and tagged Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Pancakes, Recipe, Strawberry, Syrup, Vanilla Bean on February 13, 2012.

I think breakfast gets the short end of the stick. Everyone is under the impression that dinner is the romantic meal. Juicy steak, buttery lobster, saucy spaghetti. Then, naturally, dinner is followed by dessert. Dripping with chocolate, sticky sugar, warm and spicy, sweet berries.

What if you could have dessert for breakfast? Forget breakfast for dinner, dessert for breakfast is where it's at. It's cake for breakfast. Do you need further convincing? A stack of fluffy pancakes and melted chocolate chips all drizzled with thick and sugary strawberry syrup.

If you really want to impress your sweetheart this Valentine's Day, make them breakfast. There's nothing better than waking up to the smell of unsolicited bacon. Or being served breakfast in bed complete with a bird of paradise folded napkin. Or a steaming latte topped with the perfect rosetta poured with barista skill. Or sitting down to a plate of perfectly formed heart-shaped pancakes. It's easy to make pancakes from a mix and slather some off-brand table syrup on them but, to show you really mean it, make them both from scratch this year.

It's the little things.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Strawberry Syrup Makes about 8 medium pancakes.

Source: My imagination.

1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup water 3 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped

1 3/4 cup flour 3 tsp baking powder 2 tbsp granulated sugar 1 tsp salt 1 1/4 cup milk 1 vanilla bean 1 egg 2 tbsp olive oil 3/4 cup chocolate chips Printer-Friendly Version

In a medium sauce pan bring the sugar and water to a boil on medium heat. Reduce the heat and add the chopped strawberries. Let it simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or until the mixture is thickened and the strawberries are soft. Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer and let it cool to room temperature before serving on the pancakes.

Heat a large frying pan on medium heat.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the milk, vanilla seeds, egg and oil then combine it until it's smooth. To ensure there are no lumps, add half the milk at first and whisk it vigorously then add the rest. Finally fold in the chocolate chips.

Grease the prepared pan and spoon in about a 1/2 cup of batter for each pancake. Flip the pancake when bubbles start to form and let it bake about 3 minutes on each side. Serve them hot with your fresh Strawberry Syrup. Enjoy!