Cherry Pancakes

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These chocolate chip cherry pancakes are a tasty cherry breakfast recipe that can be made with fresh or frozen cherries. Serve them with maple syrup, cherry sauce or chocolate pancake sauce for a decadent brunch.

If you love creative and unique pancake recipes, try these apple oat pancakes, these chocolate & chai pancakes or these bananas foster pancakes.

For simple, basic pancake recipes, try these 3 ingredient banana oat pancakes or these oat milk pancakes.

Jump to:

• Recipe Highlights
• Ingredients
• Equipment
• Instructions
• Storage
• Reheating
• Expert Tips
• FAQ
• 📖 Recipe

Recipe Highlights

• You can use fresh cherries or frozen cherries to make these cherry pancakes. This means even if it isn’t cherry season, this is still a simple and inexpensive breakfast recipe.
• In this pancake recipe, the cherries are blended into the pancakes to create a smooth pancake.
• The combination of cherries + vanilla + dark chocolate gives these pancakes a sweet and rich flavor.
• These cherry pancakes are easy to make in only 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• Cherries: I used frozen cherries for this recipe, since they are much less expensive. For frozen cherries, thaw them in the fridge or in the microwave and strain out any extra juices before beginning the recipe. For fresh cherries, remove the pits before blending them in the food processor. You can use any type of cherry, but generally sweeter cherries, such as black cherries will work best for these pancakes.
• Chocolate Chips: Cherries and chocolate are a perfect combination. These pancakes pair particularly well with dark chocolate chips. You could also use caramel chips or semisweet chocolate chips.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds sweetness and vanilla flavor. Use pure vanilla extract if you have it. For a slightly different taste, you can substitute this with almond extract.
• Spices: A combination of cinnamon and ginger give these pancakes a bit of flavor. Salt helps bring out all the other flavors in the pancakes.
• Lemon Juice: A small dash of lemon juice complements the cherry flavor well. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice if you have it, or use an artificial bottled lemon juice.
• Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds a bit of sweetness to the pancakes. You can substitute this with granulated sugar if needed.
• Flour: Use regular, all-purpose flour for this recipe.
• Baking Powder: Baking powder activates the gluten in the flour to make these pancakes rise. Baking powder can not be substituted with baking soda.
• Egg: An egg acts as a binding agent, holding the pancakes together so they don’t fall apart when you cook them.
• Milk: Use whatever type of milk you prefer. You can use regular 2% milk, or a non-dairy alternative, such as almond milk or oat milk.

Equipment

• A set of mixing bowls to make the pancake batter in.
• A rubber spatula to mix the ingredients together.
• A nonstick skillet or griddle to cook the pancakes on.
• A flat, plastic spatula to flip the pancakes.

Instructions

Step 1: Thaw the frozen cherries and strain out their juices. Blend the cherries in a food processor until they are mostly smooth. 

Step 2: In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger. 

Step 3: In a medium bowl, beat the egg, milk, lemon juice and vanilla extract together. 

Step 4: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Don’t overmix the batter. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Step 5: Melt half a tablespoon of butter on a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ⅓ cup of pancake batter and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until bubbles begin to appear in the batter. Flip the pancake and cook the other side until golden brown and cooked through.

Storage

• Fridge: Store leftover cherry pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days. Don’t store pancakes with any toppings on them (such as maple syrup). This will make them soggy once they cool down.
• Freezer: Let the pancakes fully cool to room temperature. Then, store the pancakes in a Ziploc bag, separated by pieces of parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together. Store in the freezer for up to 1 to 2 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Reheating

• Microwave: Reheat the pancakes in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds until warmed through. This method will result in slightly softer pancakes compared to reheating them on the stove.
• Stovetop: Use a nonstick skillet to heat the pancakes on low to medium heat until they are warm. The goal is just to warm up the pancakes without actually cooking them. This method results in a crispier pancake after reheating, as compared to reheating them in the microwave.
• Oven: Preheat a toaster oven or full-sized oven to 350F. Place the pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet and heat in the oven for 8 to 15 minutes until warm.

Expert Tips

• Save the thawed cherry juice. If you are using frozen cherries, save the thawed cherry juice and warm it up in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds. Then, drizzle it over your freshly cooked pancakes for even more cherry flavor.
• Serve with homemade pancake sauce. These cherry pancakes are delicious with classic maple syrup, but they taste even better with this homemade chocolate pancake syrup.
• Keep the pancakes warm. If you are serving a group of people, place cooked pancakes on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 200F. This will allow you to serve warm pancakes to everyone at the same time.
• Let the batter rest. Allowing the batter to rest for 5 to 15 minutes before making the pancakes allows the baking powder to activate the gluten in the flour. This makes sure even your first couple pancakes are fluffy.

FAQ

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