I am really excited to share with you how I saved dinner one night.
Have you ever promised your kids something for a meal only to find out you don’t have what you need to make it happen?
A while back I had promised to make pizza for dinner and what I thought was pizza dough in the fridge was actually bread dough. Tried that before…not happening again. It was already late, there was no way I was heading back to the store in town nor was there time to make my own dough. We didn’t even have the right bread to make a good substitute for pizza bread or something similar.
As I rummaged through the pantry I came across the pancake mix. Hmmmm. It’s worth a shot. I grated my cheese, mixed up my batter and cooked my sausage.
I have a flat top grill on my stove so I was able to experiment really quickly with what might work to make these taste pizza like and not pancake-esque. I was worried about the texture and it was definitely a problem. The pancakes needed to be crispy, like real pizza. My first couple of attempts did not go well (too mushy) until I tried something different.
These pictures aren’t the greatest but you will get the idea.
I started with about one tablespoon of shredded mozzarella and put that on the griddle first. As you can see it starts to melt right away. I then poured about an 1/8 of a cup of batter right on top of the cheese, and used a spoon to kind of shape it the way I wanted.
I immediately added mini pepperoni and sausage to the top of the pancake, turning it only when there were lots of bubbles, the same as when you cook pancakes. When ready, I flipped it over to cook the other side. As you can see above, the bottom is crispy from the cheese. This is exactly how you want it.
My kids had no idea these were pancakes. These have become a highly requested item in our house.
Here is a behind the scenes look at my kitchen assistant, Sadie. She is literally inches away from every shot, waiting and hoping something falls to the ground. She does quite well with clean up. Sometimes it’s really hard to get a picture as she sandwiches herself between me and the food.
She has never taken an uninvited bite of anything, regardless of how tempting it might be. That just amazes me.
Waiting for a mini pepperoni to fall…of course one did.
Served with a side of pizza sauce, these are an amazing treat. I cut this one with a pizza slicer and made tiny little slices…they are so cute.
Perfect for playdates too, the kids always love them. A great idea for April Fool’s Day as well. Enjoy!!
Mini Pepperoni Pizza Pancakes
Ingredients
For the batter:
- dry pancake mix (enough to make 12-15 pancakes) this is about 1 cup of dry mix and 1-1/3 cups of water
- 1 pound shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese (make sure to shred yourself ~ large shred), divided
- 1 Tabelspoon pizza seasoning*
For the toppings:
- 5 ounces Hormel mini pepperoni
- 4 ounces mild Italian sausage, cooked and finely chopped
- 1 cup pizza sauce
*If you cannot find Pizza Seasoning, make your own:
- 2 Tablespoons oregano
- 1 Tablespoon basil
- 1/2 Tablespoon thyme leaves
- 1/2 Tablespoon salt
- 1/2 Tablespoon fennel
- 1/2 Tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 Tablespoon black pepper
- 1/2 Tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder
Directions
- Preheat flat top, griddle or pan to 350 degrees F or medium-high heat. Oil the griddle or pan before adding pancake batter. I always oil the pan or my flat top with a paper towel that I douse in oil first. This way there is just enough oil to keep things from not sticking and not being too greasy.
- For the batter, mix together dry mix with the water. Add 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese and pizza seasoning. If the batter is really thick add a 1/4 cup water and stir. Add more if needed. You don't want the batter to be overly thick once you add the cheese.
- Using remaining cheese, start by placing one tablespoon of cheese on the griddle. It will start to melt right away. Pour 1/8 cup of batter on top of the cheese. Immediately add pepperoni and sausage to the top of the pancake. Turn once there are lots of bubbles, just like when you make regular pancakes. Flip over and cook until done. The bottom side with the cheese will be crispy, this is what you want.
- Remove from griddle and sprinkle each pancake with a 1/2 Tablespoon of mozzarella cheese. Place pancakes on a tray.
- Serve immediately with pizza sauce for dipping.
- Three Years Ago: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cupcakes
