How to Make Heart Shaped Pancakes for Valentine's Day

Heart Shaped Pancakes don't have to be difficult. There are many ways of creating this amazing looking breakfast, and just as many ways to dress them up. These quick and easy ideas will have you serving breakfast with a smile in no time.

The Batter

First, decide if you want to make your own pancake batter, from scratch, or buy a ready-made batter or a simple mix. You can also cheat here, and buy already cooked frozen pancakes. The only option here that is limited in what you can do and create is if you choose to buy frozen pancakes.

If you've opted to make your own pancakes, don't worry, it's very simple and not very time consuming. One of the keys is not to over mix the batter. It's good for it to be a little "lumpy." Here is a great pancake recipe for Buttermilk Pancakes that are fluffy and sweet.

Add some red food coloring to the batter to make pink heart pancakes!

Cooking the Pancakes

Now that you have batter ready, you need to prepare to cook your pancakes. Heat a non-stick pan, or specialty heart pan over medium heat until a drop of water just skitters across the surface.

If you are using a regular pan you can use a heart shaped cookie cutter (heat resistant) or a pancake mold, to shape your pancakes. Simply set the mold or cookie cutter in the pan and fill the bottom with a small amount of batter, approximately 1/8 of an inch deep. You can remove the mold after the pancake begins to set up, or is no longer runny. (Be careful if you're using cookie cutters, they will most likely be hot.)

When the top of the pancake starts to "dry" and the bottom is nicely browned, turn. The time here varies, so it takes a pancake or two to get it right sometimes. A general saying is that the first pancake is always wasted in trying to get the temperature of the pan just right.

Alternatively, you can cook regular round pancakes and cut out the centers with cookie cutters once they are finished. This is perfect if you've chosen to purchase already prepared pancakes. Simply cut heat the pancakes and cut heart shapes out of the center.

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