Chocolate Chip Bacon Pancakes: Pancake Week

My friend Louise over at Months of Edible Celebrations reminded me that this is National Pancake Week, not to be confused with National Pancake Day which was September 26. On Pancake day I posted a recipe for Chocolate Chip Pancakes. Last year during Pancake Week I posted links to Double Chocolate Pancakes, Viennese Chocolate Pancakes and others.

So since this is the beginning of Lent and Pancake Week, I thought I'd recommend Chocolate Chip Bacon Pancakes, unless, of course, you've given up chocolate for Lent as one of my friends always does. You can always bookmark this page.

Vosges has a great batter mix that's simple to use and that I think is really delicious. It's a riff on their Mo Bacon Bar that I really like. There are two ways you can make these. You can buy Vosges’s Bacon Chocolate Chip buttermilk pancake mix that is dotted with chunks of Mo’s Bacon Bar. Or, you buy the candy bar directly and chop it up and put it into your own pancake recipe.

Mo's Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix is one of the newest members of the bacon + chocolate Vosges family. It combines the Mo's Bacon Bar with fluffy flapjacks. The buttermilk pancakes are spotted with chunks of their Mo's Bacon Bar Candy Bar, that combines applewood smoked bacon and Alder sea salt with deep milk chocolate. The instructions give two methods for incorporating the bacon chocolate chunks: you can either sprinkle them on top of each pancake before flipping them in the pan, or layer them between the finished pancakes before serving. Layering the chunks between the pancakes worked best for me. And, here's a heads-up. The batter itself is excellent.

Want to make Chocolate Chip Bacon Pancakes on your own? First make some chocolate covered bacon and consider that your chocolate chips. Cook and cool your bacon, then crumble it. Use a good smoked bacon, not bacon from a package. Melt semi-sweet chocolate in a double boiler and mix the bacon in, spread it on a cookie sheet to cool then use it. Then use your favorite pancake recipe.

Or, you can use both chopped bacon and chocolate chips. The main difference between these two types is the mixing. The bacon should be mixed into the buttermilk batter and the chocolate chips should be dropped on top of the pancake while it is cooking on one side. Otherwise the chocolate might leak onto the grill. Very messy. Also the chocolate might burn if it is left on the heat. The worst that can happen to the bacon is that it will become more crisp, and that's great! Following the Mo's Bacon Pancake advise, you can always add the chocolate chips when you stack, but for this recipe, you can always include them right after you flip.

Buttermilk Pancakes with Bacon and Chocolate Chips

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
about 1/2 cup smoked good quality bacon, cooked until crisp, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I like dark Ghirardelli or Guittard)

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into flour mixture along with the bacon and stir until combined but a bit lumpy to avoid over mixing.
Heat a lightly greased skillet over medium-high heat. When a drop of water sizzles on the surface, drop heaping spoonfuls of batter onto the skillet, making 3-inch pancakes. Cook until golden brown on each side, add chocolate chips after flipping the first and only time --or when stacking.

So you have lots of options:

1) Buy the delicious Mo's Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix
2) Make your own Pancakes and chop up a Mo's Bacon Bar and add it to the batter or the 1/2 cooked pancakes or when you stack.
3) Make your own chocolate covered bacon and add to batter or stacked pancakes
4) Make your own pancakes with cooked chopped bacon and add chocolate chips

Whatever you choose, you're going to have some great pancakes to celebrate Pancake Week.