Stay-at-home Gingerbread Pancakes

Gingerbread pancakes with apples

For those who weren’t aware, I’ve been training for my first triathlon recently. Really, it’s just a sprint tri (no Ironman for me…yet) and if only it weren’t…up in Tahoe, up 6,300 feet from sea level and my normal training ground, and shortly after a whirlwind trip to the East Coast (self selected red eye included), I wouldn’t be too worried. The last few weeks had felt pretty great and I felt like I was in a pretty good place. Feeling comfortable? Nonsense, says Life, let’s throw a curveball in there.

Knocked out for the past week+ with the flu/stomach flu, I’ve subsisted on a diet of gatorade and coconut water and considered it a tough workout for the day when I migrated from my bed to the couch and back or spent more than 5 minutes standing. Who’s ready for a tri now!

As I gain my strength back, I’m slowly gaining my appetite back as well. I woke up this morning with an intense craving for Zazie’s gingerbread pancakes. SF locals know Zazie always has lines out the door and hour+ long waits on the weekends, especially on a holiday weekend with the sun peeking out like today. I’d usually embrace the opportunity for a walk in the crisp morning breeze and not mind waiting around with a cup of coffee in hand, but eating in pajamas and not leaving the house certainly sounded much more appealing to this recovering girl. A few Google searches and some experimenting later, I was blissfully eating my gingerbread pancakes from the warm comfort of my own home.

This recipe only requires ingredients that you can likely find in your pantry, perfect for times when it’s either too cold outside, you’re too sick, or you just want to eat in your pj’s.

Stay-at-home Gingerbread Pancakes
Makes ~10 medium size pancakes.
Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time to first Chu: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 egg, separated
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 1/2 cups water (or milk)
• 1 teaspoon lime or lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1/8 cup dark brown sugar

Instructions

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, dried ginger, and cinnamon in a bowl; set aside.

Beat the egg yolks in a separate mixing bowl with the brown sugar (like a cake). Add the vanilla, molasses, and fresh ginger and beat until smooth. Whisk in the water until completely incorporated.

Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture until just combined.

Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold egg whites into mixture.

Heat pan or griddle to medium low. Grease pan with light oil spray or thin coat of butter. Pour ~1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto pan or griddle. When bubbles have formed and edges are dry, flip pancake. Cook on second side until slightly browned. Serve hot. Top with lemon curd, poached pears, apples, etc. to taste.