Be a Breakfast Hero

This is a simple way to amaze your kids at breakfast and get them excited about eating. A little creativity will make you a hero in the kitchen.

Also see how to be a lunch hero

My son makes requests for "special pancakes" every weekend.

Please check out my other instructables and I also have a diy podcast called mechanicalmashup.tv

It all starts with simple "just add water" pancake mix.

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Step 1: The batter

Mix the batter just a little thicker than usual, make sure you get all the lumps out. This is a great chance for the kids to participate.

kelsium says: Jul 28, 2010. 11:26 PM

Love the triangle pancake tower....yummy!

kelsium says: Jul 28, 2010. 11:23 PM

Special Request: Make a "Pancake"Man first then make other pancakes as its clothes, hat, pants, shoes. That would be fun. :)

steffkyser says: Nov 16, 2007. 6:23 AM

No Bad Stuff Pancake Recipe 1 cup all-purpose unbleached organic flour 1 cup organic, hormone-free, pesticide-free, antibiotic-free milk 1 Tablespoon locally-produced oil 1 Tablespoon baking powder (minimally crushed by child-labor free factories) 1 Tablespoon honey from free-range organic bees 1-2 eggs from 100% natural wild ranging bohemian gypsy chickens Using only wooden utensils, gently mix while humming a folk song; lovingly caress the egg yolks with a spatula until THEY are ready to blend in with other ingredients; Do Not Force; make the pancakes; serve only on non-Disney licensed plates. Enjoy!

KD7WHQ in reply to steffkyserNov 17, 2007. 10:47 PM

Love it ;) Having had chickens (one left), I will note that true free range birds lay eggs that have real flavor to them. The one remaining has access to the feeder, which is filled with organic feed, but what adds the flavor is the scrounge. Bugs, worms, chainsaw chips, sawdust (you wouldn't believe the attraction), etc. But, good recipe ;)

Big Bwana in reply to KD7WHQJun 4, 2008. 12:12 AM

And if you plant marigolds they eat the flowers and the yolks go almost a sunset orange..

Big Bwana says: Jun 4, 2008. 12:09 AM

I love it, I used to just add food coloring and the kids went crazy, but artwork, wow and now, I found you can make smiley faces by leaving holes in the cakes and dropping in eggs for eyes and bacon for lips while your cooking it...

anngel369 says: May 4, 2008. 3:12 PM

trying this tomorrow! cool idea..thanks!!

chef says: Mar 5, 2008. 6:05 PM

That is awsome i am going to try that this weekend.Awsome idea.

idiosigil says: Jul 1, 2007. 4:55 PM

I surprised my girlfriend by making her these and serving her in bed. See the picture... and see the other picture for the pancakes she made me in return!

Mr. Deeds in reply to idiosigilMar 1, 2008. 11:09 PM

Your girlfriend has one nice digitally-altered face! I just had to say that. Nice Superman pancake, though. Next time you should make Batman ones.

idiosigil in reply to Mr. DeedsMar 2, 2008. 5:44 AM

I'm actually wearing a Batman t-shirt under that green plate :)

saad_3122000 says: Dec 18, 2007. 5:29 AM

Great Idea! My son will love it! Thanks!!!

zozzen says: Dec 9, 2007. 9:04 PM

very easy-to-follow instructable! I'll try to make a 3D house based on your recipe.

Fizzxwizz says: Dec 8, 2007. 4:31 PM

Awesome Idea. I might make doughnuts with them!

joknrok says: Nov 19, 2007. 11:29 AM

That ice cream bowl is genius! THanks for the great ideas.

robtsou says: Nov 17, 2007. 1:45 PM

I've been doing the same thing but instead of a bag, I use a squirt bottle (like a catsup or mustard bottle). If you figure out the ratio of mix to water (I just mix in a bowl) you can add the mix and water right to the bottle and shake it up and you're ready to go.

Wolver says: Nov 17, 2007. 5:57 AM

This rocks....My kids are gonna love it tomorrow...thanks a heep for this really cool Instructable!

Spl1nt3rC3ll says: Jun 16, 2007. 7:07 PM

I found something out one mother's day. Chocolate is like an acid when added to cooking pancakes.Right before I flipped the pancake I added a chocolate syrup (I know I spelt that wrong) heart then flipped it. It ended up burning a heart shaped hole right through the pancake. also, I tried to shape them into hearts with a spatula and ended up destroying and deforming them. Another time I tried to make a jumbo pancake using all the batter and I couldn't flip it, I had to fold it in half while still gooey. This is a very helpful instructable, I never thought of using a bag. How did you ever manage to flip the spider web?

DeadlyDad in reply to Spl1nt3rC3llNov 16, 2007. 11:54 AM

The secret is to add cocoa to a separate amount of batter and use that for decorating instead of syrup.

zachninme in reply to Spl1nt3rC3llJun 27, 2007. 5:51 PM

Chocolate is acidic, I believe. That reaction, however, is probably due to the syrup being mostly sugar, and having a high water content. The water conducts heat much faster than your batter, burning more sugar quicker than just the batter/oil combo.

dave spencer (author) in reply to Spl1nt3rC3llJun 16, 2007. 9:56 PM

I have a big spatula.

Spl1nt3rC3ll in reply to dave spencerJun 17, 2007. 2:30 PM

I need one of those badly.

srilyk says: Nov 16, 2007. 11:18 AM

You could actually go to wal*mart and pick up a cheap frosting nozzle. Then you wouldn't have to worry as much about cutting the right size hole. Awesome instructable though!

crazy artist chick says: May 5, 2007. 3:18 PM

That's awesome! I love all your submissions! They are amazing. Your kids must be so stoked!!! I really hope you win the laser!

bigpinecone in reply to crazy artist chickNov 15, 2007. 8:21 PM

laser-cut pancakes?

At Liberty says: Nov 15, 2007. 8:03 PM

You're a very nice Dad :o) I think the good Dad factor counteracts the white flour and sugar. Happy Thanksgiving!

Marjamada says: Nov 15, 2007. 5:24 PM

I hope alternative points of view are encouraged here. Are we concerned about the nutritional and other health aspects of the food we feed our children and ourselves? While flour, white sugar - has anybody heard of whole food? Refined and packaged foods do not contribute to health, they create acidity, constipation, diabetes and numerous other health problems. Our children and we deserve better. Whole food is available just about everywhere, and it works just as well in recipes. It also tastes better. Here's to your health!

steffkyser says: Nov 15, 2007. 4:16 PM

No Secret Pancake Recipe 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup milk 1 Tablespoon oil 1 Tablespoon baking powder 1 Tablespoon sugar 1-2 eggs Mix with a wisk (no lumps); make the pancakes

cdogjune says: Nov 15, 2007. 3:36 PM

I've done this too. Getting out all the lumps is really important.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd5OB7Qjwm4

dave spencer (author) says: May 12, 2007. 9:33 AM

I mentioned in step 4 that I made a bowl out of pancakes. Today I made one so I thought I would share it with you. I made it out of triangle pieces instead of circles. I know a lot of you commenters said you were going to try to make your own pancakes, lets see some of your pictures.

tcabeen in reply to dave spencerNov 15, 2007. 3:30 PM

HOLY WOW. This completely rules. Where's the creativity in breakfast, any more? All sorts of creativity in dinners with molecular gastronomy and all that crazy stuff, but breakfast is The Most Important Meal Of The Day, and it deserves its due! You, Dave Spencer, are giving breakfast the attention it so richly deserves, and I commend you for that. Now I gotta go find a good recipe and get started.

Aerospaced says: Nov 4, 2007. 11:26 AM

My dad used to do that when I was little. WOW I miss those days.

Tungsten says: May 4, 2007. 8:46 PM

Great Idea! My son will love it! Thanks!!!

Tungsten in reply to TungstenAug 31, 2007. 8:56 AM

An additional step which makes a nice contrast is to add some blueberry juice to the batter you put in the bag. You then proceed to make your shapes/letters/designs then fill them in or cover them with the non-juiced batter. This really makes the designs stand out nicely!!!!!

PP says: Aug 4, 2007. 11:08 PM

Saw this a while back and tried it a couple weekends ago. Here's a pic of my first attempt - we'll be doing this many more times. Thanks!

$C:\Master Picture Folder\July2007\Pancakes.jpg$

connorcancount! says: Aug 2, 2007. 10:58 PM

i like the flip action in the third picture, your son is cute!

threecheersfornick says: Aug 2, 2007. 9:15 PM

Awesome! I'm a gonna havta try this.

tina1919 says: May 6, 2007. 2:05 PM

Cool idea but I'm even more amazed that so many Dad's know how to make breakfast. But now that I know I will be taking 1 morning off a week. Pancake instructions and marriage tips all in one.

kathynv in reply to tina1919Jul 30, 2007. 3:41 AM

Don't be surprised, Tina, lots of Dads know how to cook and do so regularly for the sprouts. My own DD does as much cooking as I do, and often makes dishes which are quite complicated to master (homemade ravioli with homemade sauce for an ordinary Sunday dinner, anyone?) The nice thing about having two parents who know/like cooking is that no one ends up seeing it as an unavoidable chore. Back on topic: those pancakes look incredible, and I can understand why your gorgeous children go crazy over them. They might like a little twist by adding a few colored nonpareils from the cake decorating aisle at the market. Just sprinkle a few of them on the "raw" side of the pancake, just before flipping, then get the pancake out of the moment the inside is cooked, to prevent the decoration from burning. You can do the same with Chocolate Jimmies and Chocolate chips. I agree with the other poster who said that homemade is best, but if that means there are days you'll not make breakfast because it is too much trouble, beef it up with a llittle sprinkle of connamon or a couple of drops of vanilla. It will have a much less "boxed" taste, while retaining all the features of mix with water.