Elevate Your Usual Stack Of Pancakes With A Chocolate Milk Swap

A plain pancake is beautiful, indeed. Fluffy, rich, and a bit crispy on the edges, the griddled cross between pastry and bread comes alive with a generous pat of butter melting under its incumbent heat and a stout bath of maple syrup. But that's not to say pancakes can't be gussied up for gain. Bananas, blueberries, and chocolate chips are among the many ingredients that find a welcome home within their confines. Speaking of the latter, if you're an avowed chocolate lover who wants to significantly up the quotient, there's a simple swap that can fill your pancakes with more of the good stuff, wall-to-wall. Ditch the regular milk and use chocolate milk in your batter.

Chocolate milk conveys all the rich deliciousness of chocolate with the creaminess of whole milk. What's more, this replacement doesn't require any other modifications to an easy pancake recipe; just use an equal amount of chocolate milk instead of whole milk. You can opt for store-bought or make your own. If going for a chocolate milk from the store, give it a taste test or go with a brand you trust, as not all chocolate milks are created equal and you don't want a bland, insipid variety dragging down your breakfast. Making your own gives you more control; choose a chocolate syrup or powdered mix and add it to whole milk in a ratio that suits.

Some folks love the tangy flavor of buttermilk in their pancakes and may be wondering if they can still proceed. The answer is yes, but it's not as straightforward. You can go about this swap in a few ways. First, you can opt to reduce the amount of buttermilk in your favorite recipe and replace it with chocolate milk, but this can lead to neither flavor being as present as you'd like. Second, you can go the DIY route and make chocolate buttermilk with cocoa powder as you would homemade chocolate milk, but with buttermilk as the liquid. Lastly, you can add the chocolate milk as the liquid in your recipe along with a teaspoon or two or buttermilk powder, which adds the same flavor without altering the liquid content of your pancake batter.

Chocolate milk pancakes practically beg for add-ins, and provide a delicious canvas for experimentation. The clear choice is more chocolate in the form of chocolate chips or chunks. In the same vein, candy plays well here too. Consider adding a heaping handful of M&Ms or a few chopped chunks of a candy bar like Snickers. If you're looking to add ingredients with a bit more nutrients and fiber, think of fruits that work well with chocolate. Classics like bananas, blueberries, strawberries, and even coconut make for chocolate milk pancakes that are both rich and hearty.