It’s that time of the year!
It only comes once a year!
I’m talking about ….. eggnog!
If you’re a single who’s keeping an eye on what you’re eating and drinking, and you like eggnog, you probably indulge and buy a small carton just to taste it at least once over the Christmas holidays.
After having a glass of eggnog, I find that I’m done. I’m good until next year. Well, maybe I can have another glass tomorrow….
The problem is drinking up the eggnog before the expiration date hits because I hate wasting food.
I’m kind of on a kick to make pancakes for breakfast on the weekends, and I’ve got leftover eggnog. Hmmm… can I come up with an eggnog pancake recipe for one?
I can!
And here it’s important to point out if you’re making breakfast for 2 or 3, just double or triple the recipe. But that’s only if you have other people. No cheating and eating a breakfast for 2 all by yourself!
It’s all abut portion control.
Alright! Let’s get going on those eggnog pancakes for one!
First thing is to find something to mix the eggnog batter in. I use a measuring cup that holds 2 cups. It’s plenty big enough for making eggnog pancakes for one. You can use a bowl instead of a measuring cup if that’s what you prefer.
Put half a cup of flour into your cup or bowl.
Add one tablespoon sugar.
Add half a teaspoon baking powder and a pinch of salt. Just a teeny tiny bit of salt to help with the baking.
Sprinkle in nutmeg if you have it. A couple of shakes. I don’t have any, but I do have allspice and used that instead. If you have cinnamon, shake some in.
I’m all about using whatever you have on hand, which is what happens now that an egg is on the ingredient list.
Add one egg. Or something you want to use instead of an egg.
Lately I’ve been getting away from adding eggs when I make pancakes. I recently bought ground flax seed to give that a try as an egg substitute. Flax seeds are good for your health, and beside I prefer to save my eggs and eat them for a meal! If you’re using flax seed, add one tablespoon.
You could also use about a quarter cup of egg whites if you keep that in the fridge.
Somewhere around this step I remember I forgot to pre-heat my griddle and pull it out of the cupboard. I use the high setting on the stove top to heat it up.
Next add in one tablespoon applesauce, which I use as a butter/margarine substitute when I’m making pancakes. However, if you don’t have applesauce on hand, or prefer butter or margarine, melt one tablespoon in the microwave (about 15 seconds or so on high).
Seeing as how we’re using eggnog which generally tips the scales on the high calorie side, I try to cut my calories at other places in the recipe such as the egg and oil. You could substitute the sugar with a package of sweetener, but I find that doesn’t do it for me. The pancake’s not sweet enough.
Now it’s time to add in the star of the show – eggnog! I start with about half a cup. If you’re using ground flax seeds you’ll need to add more liquid until you reach a consistency where the pancake batter is easy to pour.
Now wait just a minute before you pour!
Turn down the stove top heat to somewhere between high and medium. Use a non-stick spray on the griddle.
That last part is very important if you want to flip your pancakes and not be scraping stuck pancake off your griddle later!
Pour out two pancakes on the griddle. You did remember to spray it first, right?
Because the eggnog in the batter makes things a bit thicker than using water, the pancakes need about 2 to 3 minutes before flipping them. Watch for when they start to bubble on the griddle.
Flip them and let them cook for another minute or two. That gives you time to either admire your handywork at flipping, or curse yourself out that pancake splatter is over your griddle again! As you can see, the above pancake flip wasn’t as clean as I’d have liked! But hey, just goes to show not everyone posts pretty pancake pictures!
Serve them hot. You can put syrup on them if you like. I smear a little margarine on the eggnog pancakes, but they’ll also taste fine without a topping.
Oh, if you didn’t cook them enough and you’ve got a little raw batter inside, don’t sweat it. Raw eggnog pancake batter is actually pretty nice!
I managed to finish off my carton of eggnog by pouring the last of it into a glass to drink with my breakfast.
So there you have it, an easy way to use up the eggnog before the expiration date hits, and enjoy a holiday breakfast.
Also a great choice for Christmas morning!
Enjoy!
