What’s on the Menu? Sheetpan Chocolate Chip Pancakes
We love pancakes for brunch at our house, but I don’t always enjoy laboring over the stove top making individual pancakes. If we have company, making pancakes is out of the question for me. I can’t even bear the thought of making piles of pancakes and getting everything else ready. As a big fan of one-pot or sheet-pan meals, I was ecstatic when I discovered this sheet-pan pancake recipe. The recipe is straightforward and certain ingredients can easily be substituted. I made the pancakes using the substituted ingredients, given that one of our kids has a dairy allergy (substitutes indicated below). When you replace one or more ingredients in the recipe, you never really know how the recipe will turn out. Much to our delight, the sheet-pan pancakes were still very fluffy and delicious. This is a perfect recipe for making pancakes to satisfy a crowd.
Recipe adapted from The New York Times Cooking by Jerrelle Guy
6-8 Servings
40 Minutes Prep Time
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled (substitute with non-dairy butter alternative such as coconut butter or olive oil butter spread)
1 ½ cups cold buttermilk (substitute with coconut milk for cooking, not for drinking)
1 ½ cups cold whole milk (substitute with non-dairy milk such as oat milk)
3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup mini chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Maple syrup, for serving (optional)
Direction:
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a sheet pan using 1 tablespoon softened butter, then line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and milk; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sprinkle the chilled butter cubes on top and mix using electric mixer until the butter is coarse and sandy, and some pieces are the size of peas. Pour the buttermilk mixture on top and add vanilla extract. Whisk to combine, then let stand for 5 minutes. Place the prepared sheet pan in the oven on the middle rack to heat while the batter sits.
4. Remove the hot pan from the oven, add the remaining 2 tablespoons softened butter to the pan and return to the oven until the butter is melted and bubbling, about 1 minute. Remove the pan and carefully tip to spread the melted butter around. Working quickly, stir the risen batter one final time and pour it into the center of the pan, tipping the pan again to spread the batter evenly. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the batter.
5. Return the pan to the oven and bake until cooked through, 13 to 15 minutes. Broil until the top turns golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes (optional). Let cool slightly then cut into squares. Serve warm, with maple syrup, if desired. Serving with berries is also optional.
