My Vanilla Spice Pancake Recipe + Pancake-Making Tips & Tricks! (2024)

Today I'm sharing my family's favorite breakfast recipe:Vanilla Spice Pancakes. The batter is flavored with vanilla extract and spiced with cinnamon and ground cloves; We're not talking Holiday flavors here, but just the right amount to make those ho-hum pancakes into something absolutely delicious. I've also got some tried-and-true tips and tricks for making pancake breakfasts easier and for getting the perfect pancake (hint: if you haven't tried a cast-iron skillet for pancakes, you should!)

Pancakes are something that the whole family loves to have for breakfast, but let's just say I'm not really a morning person, so having ways to make these easy enough for hubby to fry up while I'm drinking my morning coffee is a huge plus. ;)

Luckily pancake batter, stored in an airtight container, can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. I like making a big batch and putting it in a store-and-pour container (like the one above). It makes frying them up that much easier. Just pop the top and pour the batter right into the hot pan. No muss, no fuss. You can also use a clean ketchup or syrup bottle!

My favorite pancakes ever have those crisped edges, you know the ones. There's nothing worse than a mouthful of mush and syrup, so these edges are a must for me. The only way I've been able to get consistently perfect edges is to use a cast iron skillet sprayed with cooking oil. Just spray lightly between each batch and you've got it made.

If you haven't experienced cast iron cookware before, it takes longer to completely heat up (wait for it) but it cooks more evenly than any other cookware I've tried. With an electric stove, it always gets hotter right over the eye and cooler at the edges of the pan, but not so with cast iron. You'll have evenly cooked pancakes every time.

Another tip is on flipping. If you've never cooked pancakes before you can go through a lot of splatters or burned pancakes before you get the hang of telling when they're ready to flip. Wait for bubbles to appear on top and start popping and make sure the very edges are just dry enough to get a spatula under. Carefully flip and cook through on the other side and you'll have gorgeous pancake after gorgeous pancake.

Two words, guys: squeeze spread. It was actually something I didn't know I needed in my life, but now I'm not giving it up. Land O Lakes^® Soft Squeeze^™ Spread is a brand new product that comes in a convenient, easy-to-squeeze bottle. It's made with real butter and is perfect for little hands to squeeze, even right out of the fridge. Plus, it stays clean and crumb-free, which I didn't think possible in our house, lol!