Pancake Mini Muffins

My sister has a daughter that is twelve weeks older than my son. We both have two other kids that are in full day school, so in September of last year we started swapping our youngest children twice a week so we can get a few hours to ourselves. Every Monday my niece Emma comes to spend the day with Matthew and I while my sister gets five hours to do her own thing, and on Wednesdays I drop Matthew off at their house and I get the same amount of kid-free time.

My niece is a little pickier than Matthew when it comes to food, but the one thing they unanimously agree on are pancakes (except for the ones made with chocolate chips; she tells me those are gross). To preserve the peace—and my own sanity—I usually make Mondays pancake day, and we have a lot of fun experimenting with new ways of making, and serving, their favourite food.

This week we made pancake mini muffins. Anything with a dipping sauce is popular with them, so instead of making traditional pancakes and serving them with maple syrup, we poured the prepared batter into a mini muffin tin, embellished each with a smattering of toppings (blueberries, mini chocolate chips, and frozen raspberries), and served the sweet little muffins with a tea cup full of maple syrup for dipping. Brilliant, right?

My older kids came home from school and went crazy for the leftovers, proving they’re perfect for more than just toddlers. In fact, as I write this I’m thinking they would be a) great for sleepover breakfasts and b) ideal for placing on a breakfast buffet. Seeing as you can make them with any pancake batter, including the kind that comes from a mix, there really isn’t a reason these can’t find their way to your table immediately.

Here’s how I made them: Preheat the oven to 425°F and prepare your pancake batter as per the recipe or package directions. Lightly grease a mini muffin tin and divide the batter evenly, filling the cups 2/3 – ¾ full. Decorate with mini chocolate chips or fresh fruit, if desired. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until the edges are golden and the centres are set. Serve with maple syrup for dipping. Important to note: don’t try this with ‘just add water’ pancake mix. You definitely need to use one that requires milk and eggs.