These chocolate sheet pan pancakes are a breeze to make, and perfect for small children who want to help big in the kitchen. They can whisk the batter together in the blink of an eye, and spend most of the time decorating.
Jump to Recipe | Tips | Variations
When it comes to breakfast on the weekends, there’s one thing my family requests more than anything else: sourdough pancakes. And while they’re delicious – wheaty with a hint of tartness – they take an awful lot of time to make. You’ll find yourself hovered over a skillet or griddle, painstakingly turning each pancake while your children flutter around your heels – hungry and ready to eat.
Sheet pan pancakes, by contrast, are a breeze to make. You whisk the batter together, pour it onto a prepared baking sheet and wait about six minutes for it to cook in the oven. It’s practically instant.
It’s also easy for small children to join in cooking easily – no overly hot griddles or meticulous measurements. It’s so easy, they can even take the lead. Using a good quality pancake mix can also make the process that much easier for small children to help – allowing even the smallest kids to stir the batter together and decorate the pancakes.
We use Bob’s Red Mill Homestyle Pancake Mix as a base for these sheet pan pancakes because the ingredients are simple, and it has a great rise and neutral flavor so you can tweak the batter to flavor it as you like. We loved adding chocolate, almond, and vanilla, too.
Tips for Making Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Pancake batter rises very well, so make sure it lightly coats the bottom of your baking sheet to prevent overflow.
- Use a rimmed sheet pan. If you use a flat baking sheet, the batter will overflow, and if you use a baking dish, your batter may bake too quickly at the edges and too slowly in the middle.
- Sheet pan pancakes bake very quickly because the batter is thin in the pan. So keep a watchful eye on your pancake when it’s in the oven.
- Have fun with decorating, you can use berries, bananas, chocolate chips, nuts and seeds to create images and decorate the pancakes.
- Serve it warm, because the texture will be fluffier.
Chocolate Sheet Pan Pancake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon softened butter
- 2 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Homestyle Pancake and Waffle Mix
- 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 1/3 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- berries for decorating
- almonds for decorating
- chocolate chips for decorating
- dark maple syrup to serve
Equipment
- 8 x 13 rimmed sheetpan
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 475 F, and then grease a rimmed baking sheet with butter.
- Measure the pancake mix and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl, and then whisk in the milk, almond, and vanilla extracts. Continue whisking until smooth, and then pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Decorate the batter with berries, almonds and chocolate chips as it suits you, and then transfer the sheet pan to the oven. Turn down the heat to 450 and bake 5 to 8 minutes, or until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Slice into squares and serve warm with maple syrup.
Where to Find Bob’s Red Mill
Bob’s Red Mill is an employee-owned company based in Oregon, and my family has used their whole grains, beans, and baking ingredients for years. While you can order online, you can also find them in just about any grocery store or natural foods market, too.
Variations
- Skip the cocoa powder, and add more pancake mix instead for a plain version.
- Add orange zest and a little orange extract instead of almond, and serve it with segmented oranges.
- Make a lemon and poppy seed version, and by substituting additional pancake mix for the cocoa powder, and stirring in plenty of lemon zest, lemon extract and poppy seeds.
Natalia Sandoval says
I am sad to read that you’re promoting this company after their current lawsuit that claims they have high levels of glyphosate in their foods.
Jenny says
I really like Bob’s Red Mill and buy their products often. If you’re concerned about glyphosate, then I’d encourage you to purchase organic as glyphosate isn’t permitted in organic production.
Tracy says
Does it work for your sourdough pancakes i wonder?! That would be awesome. I don’t really understand what a rimmed baking sheet is but sounds like a game changer!
Jenny says
Hi Tracy,
I wouldn’t do this with sourdough pancakes, because the sourdough increases the gluten content and the batter tends to be “springy” so likely will pull back from the sides of the pan. Those sourdough pancakes ARE delicious, though.