Halloween morning just got a whole lot sweeter (and spookier!) with these Jack O Lantern Pancakes! Forget boring breakfast – we’re transforming fluffy pancakes into adorable, grinning pumpkins that will delight kids and adults alike. This recipe isn’t just about making pancakes; it’s about creating a fun, festive experience and starting your Halloween day with a smile. It’s surprisingly easy, even for beginner pancake makers, and the results are seriously impressive. Get ready to flip, decorate, and enjoy a breakfast that’s truly a treat!
Why You’ll Love This
- Fun for All Ages: Kids will *love* helping to decorate these pancakes, making it a perfect family activity.
- Festive & Impressive: They look amazing and instantly elevate your Halloween breakfast game.
- Surprisingly Easy: No special skills or equipment needed – just your regular pancake ingredients and a little creativity.
- Customizable: Get creative with your toppings! Chocolate chips for eyes, whipped cream for a ghostly touch… the possibilities are endless.
- Delicious! Let’s not forget, they’re still fluffy, delicious pancakes!
Ingredients & Equipment
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- Orange food coloring (gel food coloring recommended for vibrant color)
- Chocolate chips (mini or regular) for eyes and mouths
- Whipped cream (optional, for ghostly effect or topping)
- Maple syrup or your favorite pancake topping
Equipment:
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Griddle or large frying pan
- Spatula
- Small piping bag or ziplock bag (for decorating with melted chocolate, optional)
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prepare the Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and melted butter.
- Combine & Color: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Add orange food coloring, a few drops at a time, until you reach your desired pumpkin shade.
- Cook the Pancakes: Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Pour ¼ cup of batter onto the hot griddle for each pancake.
- Flip & Finish: Cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Decorate! While the pancakes are still warm, use chocolate chips to create Jack O Lantern faces. Press the chocolate chips gently into the pancake.
- Serve & Enjoy: Serve immediately with whipped cream (if using) and maple syrup.
Pro Tips
- Don’t Overmix: Overmixing the batter will result in tough pancakes. A few lumps are okay!
- Temperature Control: Medium heat is key. If the griddle is too hot, the pancakes will burn on the outside before they’re cooked through.
- Vibrant Orange: Gel food coloring provides a much more vibrant orange color than liquid food coloring.
- Melted Chocolate Detail: For more intricate faces, melt some chocolate and pipe it onto the pancakes using a piping bag or a ziplock bag with a tiny corner snipped off.
- Keep Warm: If you’re making a large batch, keep the cooked pancakes warm in a 200°F (93°C) oven until ready to serve.
Storing Leftovers
Leftover pancakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the microwave, toaster, or on a griddle. They may lose some of their fluffiness, but they’ll still be delicious!
Freezing: Pancakes can also be frozen. Place cooled pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in the toaster or oven.
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Jack O Lantern Pancakes for Halloween Fun
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 pancakes
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Fun and festive Jack O Lantern pancakes perfect for Halloween breakfast or any spooky occasion.
Ingredients
pancake batter made from mix or recipe of choice
orange food coloring or red + yellow food coloring
green food coloring
chocolate chips (9 per pancake)
Instructions
1. In large bowl, prepare pancake mix of choice as instructed in pancake recipe or on pancake mix box.
2. Remove approximately 1/5 of the prepared batter and transfer it to small bowl.
3. Add very small amount of orange food coloring (or red + yellow food coloring) to remaining batter in large bowl. Stir thoroughly to tint batter, adding additional food color in very small increments as needed to achieve desired shade of orange.
4. Repeat above step using green food coloring for pancake batter in small bowl.
5. Transfer green pancake batter from small bowl into plastic sandwich bag (or piping bag). Work batter down into one corner of sandwich bag and snip off corner tip, leaving small hole (approximately 1/5-inch wide). Prop cut corner of bag up when not actively in use to prevent batter leaking everywhere.
6. Preheat large skillet over medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Use cookie scoop or measuring cup to ladle approximately 1/3 cup of orange pancake batter into hot skillet. Let orange batter set.
7. Pipe green pancake batter into skillet, drawing a square/rectangle at top of orange circle to make stem. Fill in shape with additional green batter. Make sure green batter actually touches orange batter, or stem won’t stay connected to pumpkin.
8. Let pumpkin-shaped pancake cook until set on sides (it’ll be more matte rather than glossy) and bubbles appear on side of pancake facing up. When bubbles appear, press chocolate chips onto orange circle to form jack-o-lantern face, with pointy ends of chocolate chips pointing toward green stem to resemble triangular cut-outs.
9. Once chocolate chips are placed, very carefully flip pancake over with spatula (pancake should be mostly cooked through before flipping). Cook approximately 15 seconds on second side. Be careful not to overcook this side or the jack-o-lantern face will be brown and the chocolate chips melted.
10. Transfer finished jack-o-lantern pancake to plate and keep warm. Repeat process with remaining batters. Serve warm as-is or with desired toppings.
Notes
Use non-stick spray for easy flipping.
Adjust food coloring amounts to get your desired shade.
Keep pancakes warm in oven at low temperature while making the batch.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pancake
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 350mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 25mg