Festive Breakfast - Egg Nog Pancakes

I have a confession to make…I don’t like eggnog. I never really have. I tried it once when I was younger and didn’t like it and ever since then, that memory in combination with the fact that it’s a drink made from eggs has turned me off of it every Christmas.

I do like pancakes though. Mainly because they are an excuse to have “cake” for breakfast. Naturally, Matt isn’t a huge fan but that doesn’t stop me from making them every opportunity I get. I especially love variations on pancakes. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I had just plain buttermilk pancakes.

So, I was hunting for a new pancake recipe this morning, and I stumbled upon Joy the Baker’s Egg Nog (without the Egg Nog) Pancakes. The “without the Egg Nog” part intrigued me and I discovered that they really are just normal buttermilk pancakes with the addition of browned butter, spices and whiskey.

Whiskey? At breakfast?! I’m in.

Egg Nog Pancakes
(From Joy the Baker)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
heaping 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I just used ground)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of ground allspice
3 tablespoons butter melted until browned
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon whiskey or spiced rum or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used whiskey)

butter or a lightly coloured oil for cooking pancakes

maple syrup for serving

Directions:

In a small sauce pan, melt butter until much of the water has evaporated and little brown bits appear in the bottom of the pan. Remove from the flame and add the nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. Set aside to cool a bit.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with the buttermilk. Add the melted butter, being to sure to scrape all the browned bits and spices into the buttermilk and egg. If the butter seizes up a bit in the cold milk, that’s ok. Add the whiskey/rum or vanilla extract and just whisk it all together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to incorporate. Don’t overmix. It’s ok if there are a few lumps.

Let the batter rest, untouched for 5 minutes while you heat a griddle or skillet. Add a tablespoon of canola oil or butter to the hot skillet. Dollop heaping tablespoonfuls onto heated and oiled skillet and cook until evenly browned, flipping once. Place cooked pancakes on an oven-proof plate in a warm oven until ready to serve.


These pancakes aren’t very sweet, so maple syrup is a must! I also had some whipped cream on mine…’tis the season ;)