Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes

Ever since my success with my lemon ricotta pancakes I have a new found pancake-making confidence and when I woke up yesterday morning I was seriously craving pancakes. My brother had been asking me to make chocolate chip pancakes for a while now so I decided to make regular buttermilk pancakes and add chocolate chips to half of them. I didn't actually have any buttermilk on hand but apparently it's so easy to make your own. Simply measure one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and add enough milk to bring the total volume to one cup and presto....one cup of buttermilk.

The regular version of the pancake tasted great on its own though I'm not going to lie, the chocolate chip tasted even better especially because I used good quality chocolate chips. Growing up in a Russian household, we have things like caviar for breakfast. My dad gave me the idea to spread some of the caviar onto one of the regular pancakes and it was delicious. The saltiness of the caviar combined with the hint of sweetness in the pancake made the perfect bite.

Meanwhile, my family has become quite involved with my blog. Every time I make something new they all ask me whether it will be on the blog. They're also cautious before taking a bite, always asking if I've had a chance to take a picture of the food before they dig in. The picture taking, in particular, is now always on their minds and sometimes they like to come up with ideas on how to best capture my food. For example, my mom came up with the idea to steam the chocolate chips that are sprinkled over the pancakes in the photo, after seeing this technique used on one of our favorite shows Cake Boss on TLC. Then, after my little photoshoot was over and we were right about to eat my mom pointed out that my brother had slathered his pancakes with butter and maple syrup in a very appetizing way, so I took a picture of his plate as well. I love that everyone wants to help me make the blog look as good as possible and I truly enjoy listening to and recreating some of their ideas.

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes
Makes about 18-20 palm sized pancakes.

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups buttermilk (or 2 tbsp vinegar + enough milk to make two cups)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Chocolate chips (I didn't measure how much I used...just eyeballed it)

1. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
2. Mix together the buttermilk (or milk and vinegar), eggs, and oil.
3. Add dry ingredients to the wet and stir just until combined. It will still be lumpy but don't over mix.
4. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Once heated, reduce the temperature to medium low and pour 1/3 cup of batter onto the cooking surface. Allow the pancake to cook until bubbles start to form on the top surface, about 15-20 seconds, then use a large spatula to gently flip the pancake over. Cook the other side until it is light and golden and fully cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter.
5. To make the chocolate chip pancakes you can do one of two things: 1) add chocolate chips directly to the batter and mix them in just until incorporated. 2) Pour the batter onto the cooking surface then sprinkle some chocolate chips onto the pancake and resume cooking as you would the regular pancakes. 

Note: You may have to go through a couple of "test" pancakes before you achieve the right temperature on the griddle or skillet. Finished pancakes can be kept warm in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit while the rest are cooking.