Mini Valentine’s Day Pancakes

Since Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, I’m looking forward to enjoying a leisurely breakfast with the family so of course I”ll have to incorporate pancakes into the mix. Most weekends, I normally make a batch of plain, chocolate chip and blueberry ones (in a family of six, we all have our preferences) but for a special occasion, I thought it would be fun to do something a little different.  So, when I spotted this recipe, I decided to tweak it a bit to create these mini chocolate chip heart shaped pancakes.  I opted against using a pastry bag as originally suggested and instead, just used this heart shaped cookie cutter.  I prefer the idea of mini pancakes because the kids can just eat them with their hands (as long as syrup isn’t involved).  I also added two tablespoons of ground flax seed and used gluten free flour because I ran out of the regular kind.  If you truly want to go the healthy route, substitute plain flour for whole wheat and use coconut oil in lieu of melted butter.  And serve them with a sprinkling of powdered sugar (not so healthy), fresh fruit and perhaps some mimosas if you’re feeling fancy.

*I made these the other day and froze them so all I’ll have to do on Sunday morning is heat them up in the microwave. (The kids and I ate the scraps as an after school snack….soooo good!)

More Valentine’s Day Brunch Inspo: