This Nifty Trick Will Make Perfect Pancakes Every Time
Sometimes even mixing the pancake batter can feel like a lot in the morning—especially when you have little ones running around to care for. If you're either feeling crunched for time or you're feeling particularly lazy on a weekend morning, this nifty pancake trick truly makes the perfect little pancake in the morning—and it's about to be your new best friend. Here's the trick; prep a batch of pancake mix and freeze it in a silicone ice cube maker for future mornings. It's that simple!
To show you how this process works—and the perfect pancake-shaped result—here's a step-by-step guide on how to freeze your pancake batter. Then, for more kitchen tips, These 52 Kitchen Hacks Will Make You Enjoy Cooking Again.
Mix the batter.
First, start off by mixing your favorite pancake batter. It can be a simple boxed mix or even a homemade recipe, like these buttermilk pancakes. Whisk the batter together until smooth.
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Fill a silicone ice cube tray and add desired toppings.
Using a clean silicone ice cube tray, spoon in a bit of the mixture until the cube is around 3/4 full. Once each cube is filled, you can top the pancake batter with whatever desired topping you enjoy—like blueberries, chocolate chips, strawberries, bananas, even nuts could work. Or just fill to the top and leave the batter plain!
Freeze overnight.
Place the ice cube tray in the freezer and leave the batter to freeze overnight. This is a great thing to prep on a Sunday night before the busy week ahead—along with these 6 Best Meal Prep Habits Recommended By Dietitians.
Defrost & cook on a griddle.
Pop out as many cubes you feel you want to make and let them defrost slightly on a clean plate. In our experience, if you give the batter a few minutes (around five or so) to defrost it makes for an easier melt on the griddle.
Heat up the griddle or cast-iron skillet on medium heat. Grease with butter or a non-dairy alternative, then place the slightly defrosted pancake cube onto the griddle with clean hands. These pancakes will take a little bit more time to cook (around 5 minutes per), but that's alright—just sip on your coffee and enjoy the morning.
Sometimes it can also be helpful to gently press the little cube into the griddle with a spatula as it melts to keep the process going. Or, if you're using a skillet, you can trap the heat with a lid and speed up the melting process.
Enjoy your pancakes with desired toppings!
While your silicone ice cube tray may be different in size, generic trays will create a smaller pancake that is 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Top your cooked pancakes with fruit, syrup, or even whipped cream.
