One of the first things I learned when we became a homeschool family was that my boys absolutely, positively could not focus for long if they didn’t eat a hot breakfast every day. If I tried to skate by with giving them just a bowl of cereal? Forget it! Those boys would be whining politely asking for a snack within half an hour.

So a hot breakfast quickly became the norm in our house–at least Monday through Friday, anyway. That’s cool and all because I love hot a breakfast as much as the next person, but morning and I are not friends. We would probably get along much better if it didn’t come so early in the day. So most days we don’t do anything fancy: muffins & smoothies, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and cream of wheat are the norm. However the other day, I wanted something a little more than the norm for breakfast. I needed something more.

I’m going to be honest here…my Life is a Locker Room.

What with living in a house teeming with testosterone in the form of four male offspring and a hockey-playing Bacon Slayer, I spend four to five days per week on the soccer field, and maybe a bonus night at the hockey arena. Due to those facts, and being that fall on the 45th parallel has been rainy with pockets of sunshine, we have towels drying over the porch rails, pads of various shapes and sizes “airing out” everywhere, muddy cleats and boots outside of every exterior door, and a trail of sports equipment that I’m pretty sure could circumvent the globe the house three times. As a former tomboy, I can handle it most of the time, and more often than not I’m loving it; however sometimes all that manliness can be a bit much. Sometimes a girl just needs to glam it up with something pink! I may even have a teensy-little hissy-fit about it on occasion.

When I feel the need for a little extra femininity-infusion these Red Velvet Buttermilk Pancakes are just what I need. Light and fluffy pancakes with the faintest hint of cocoa, and dripping with a real maple cream cheese frosting icing topping. They’re pretty and it’s like having cupcakes for breakfast!

But guys, don’t freak out on me! They may be pink, but these pancakes are a delicious, stick-to-your-ribs breakfast that will fill you up so that you can pursue big manly things throughout the day. Trust me…I know these things.

♥♥♥

Red Velvet Buttermilk Pancakes with Maple Cream Cheese

http://comfortablydomestic.com

30 Silver Dollar Sized Pancakes

For the Pancakes:

2 C. all-purpose flour

½ Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tbs. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

3 Tbs. granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 C. 2% milk

½ C. buttermilk

¼ C. canola oil

½ tsp. vanilla extract

4 Drops of Americolor Soft Gel Paste Food Coloring (Or other “no-taste” red food coloring.)

A few chocolate chips for serving, optional

For the Maple Cream:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

2 Tbs. real maple syrup

2 tsp. heavy whipping cream or Half & Half

1/3 C. powdered sugar

Pinch of salt

Suggested Equipment:

Non-stick griddle

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt; whisking until well blended.
2. Whisk eggs in another bowl until fluffy.
3. Pour in milk, buttermilk, vanilla, and canola oil and whisk until well combined.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and whisk until batter is mostly smooth. Add 4 to 5 drops of the Americolor gel coloring, and whisk until the batter is even in color.
5. Allow batter to rest for a few minutes while preparing the maple cream.
6. Pour the melted & slightly cooled butter over the softened cream cheese in a bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on low speed until smooth. Pour in the maple syrup and heavy cream (or half & half) and mix until blended. Add the powdered sugar and mix until creamy; set aside and make the pancakes.
7. Preheat the griddle over medium-low heat (or electric griddle to 200 degrees F.) Also, preheat the oven to “warm” setting (175 degrees F.) Unlike traditional pancakes that are cooked over a hot griddle, red velvet pancakes are cooked over a warm griddle to cook more slowly, so as not to brown.
8. Use a medium-sized (2 oz.) scoop to portion batter on the warm griddle; allow to cook until the edges start to look dry (about 2-3 minutes.) Flip the pancake over and continue to cook for another minute or two, or until pancake is cooked through, but not too brown on both sides.
9. Place cooked pancakes onto a baking sheet, and put in the oven to keep warm.
10. Repeat until all batter has been used.
11. Serve pancakes topped with a dollop of maple cream and a small sprinkle of chocolate chips.