Description

These Christmas Fluffy Gingerbread Pancakes are a festive twist on the classic breakfast favorite. Infused with warm gingerbread spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, these pancakes are light, airy, and incredibly fluffy due to whipped egg whites folded into the batter. Perfect for holiday mornings, they can be cooked in a small pan for thick, sealed edges or as traditional jiggly Japanese-style soufflé pancakes in a large skillet. Serve warm with maple syrup, butter, or your favorite toppings.

Ingredients

Scale

Wet Ingredients

3 eggs room temperature, whites and yolks separated
3 oz butter melted
3 cups milk dairy or dairy-free, lukewarm

Dry Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour sifted
2.5 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon powder
0.5 tsp ground ginger powder
0.5 tsp ground nutmeg powder

Optional Sweetener

Sweetener to taste – brown sugar, coconut sugar, or sugar-free option like erythritol

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Instructions

The Pre-prep: Sift all the dry ingredients (flour, gingerbread spices, baking powder) into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Separate the egg whites and yolks into two bowls carefully, ensuring no yolk contaminates the whites. Beat the egg whites with a whisk or mixer over medium speed until almost-stiff peaks form. If using sweetener, gradually add it spoonful by spoonful during whisking to stabilize the egg whites. To the yolks, add melted butter and lukewarm milk and mix thoroughly.
Mix the Pancake Batter: Add the wet ingredients bowl to the dry ingredients and gently mix until just combined and fairly smooth. Avoid over-mixing to prevent tough pancakes. Fold in the whipped egg whites gently in increments: mix the first quarter more freely, then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites to retain airiness. Use the batter immediately to maintain fluffiness.
Cook the Pancakes: You can cook with two methods:
- Small Pan Method: Heat a 6-inch pan over low heat, grease lightly with oil or spray. Pour 0.5 cup batter per pancake, cook 2-3 minutes until bubbles appear and begin popping, flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Use a toothpick to ensure doneness.
- Large Skillet Method: Scoop about 0.25 cup batter and add a tablespoon of water to the pan. Cover and cook 1 minute. Add another 0.25 cup on top of each pancake, cover, and cook 2-3 minutes. Flip, cover, and cook 3-5 minutes more until cooked through. Pancakes may deflate slightly after cooking with this method.
Serve warm with toppings of choice and enjoy your festive gingerbread pancakes!

Notes

Keep pancakes warm side-by-side (not stacked) in a 200ºF (95ºC) oven until serving.
Do not overmix batter to preserve airiness and texture.
Cooking time can vary depending on pan and thickness; monitor closely.
When using large skillet method, avoid lifting lid too often to maintain rise.
Cook pancakes over low heat to ensure even cooking without burning.
It’s fine if batter has small lumps; they help make pancakes fluffy.
Make a test pancake or two to perfect timing and technique.
For multiple pancakes, use several pans or an electric griddle with a lid.
Optional add-ins (1/3 to 1/2 cup) can be gently pressed onto cooking pancakes rather than folded into batter to avoid deflation: molasses (1 tbsp), ground cloves (1/4 tsp), vanilla extract (1/2-1 tsp), chocolate chips, chopped dates, dried fruits, nuts, candied ginger, or orange zest (1 tsp added to batter before folding egg whites).

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 pancake
Calories: 180 kcal
Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 220 mg
Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 22 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 5 g
Cholesterol: 110 mg