One thing that I love to keep on hand in my pantry is a bag of chocolate chips. I hide them in the back , and try to forget that they even exist. If I didn’t intentionally ignore them, I might eat them when I’m jonesing for chocolate, and then I would be helpless when a impossible to ignore chocolate chip pancake craving hits.

I’m crazy about pancakes for breakfast, and I like to play on a classic recipe by adding new ingredients into the mix. Last week, I added fresh blueberries and a few chocolate chips, and they were delicious. They were, in fact, so delicious and sweet that I went without maple syrup or earth balance on top of them. I’ve made a couple of adjustments to my old pancake recipe, so I’m reprinting it here. Feel free to experiment on your own with different add-ins. I’m thinking about pureed banana next time.

Let’s talk about Vegan pancakes.

Anyone who has ever been to Swingers in Santa Monica knows the joy of vegan chocolate-chip pancakes, which they only serve on the weekends. And who doesn’t fondly remember the beloved Mrs. Buttersworth or Aunt Jemima? I’ve spent way too much time at I-HOP in my lifetime. Pancakes are hands-down my favorite breakfast food.

I have a friend who makes fantastic vegan pancakes. They’re thin and light and chewy, more like a McDonald’s pancake than anything else. I have had great trouble replicating his recipe, although I have finally identified the right type of flour and will be doing another test batch this week.