Whole Wheat Nutella Pancakes

I love Nutella.  I mean, what's not to love?  When I was pregnant with both my kids - but especially Olivia - I would eat Nutella on slices of honey wheat toast like it was my job.  Now, you know how much we love pancakes around here, so when I saw this recipe for Whole Wheat Nutella Pancakes from Nichola at Pink Recipe Box, I pinned it right away.

My husband looked a bit skeptical (as he tends to look), when I told him I was going to use Nutella in our pancakes on Saturday.  Mr. Juggling Act is not a big Nutella fan.  My son Ethan, on the other hand, looked ecstatic - that boy LOVES chocolate more than I do (now that's saying something!)

I made a few slight changes to Nichola's recipe, adding some cinnamon and vanilla to kick up and enhance the flavor a bit.  Mr. Juggling Act was surprised that the pancakes were not overly 'Nutella-y' - yes, apparently that is a word.  I think he meant that you don't really get the hazelnut, you just taste the chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla.  Anyhow, here's how I made them:

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2-1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup Nutella

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

In a mixing bowl with a spout, crack (or hatch, as Ethan says) the eggs and break the yolks. (Ethan is our resident egg-yolk-breaker, having learned that it is critical for maximum whisking effectiveness from his grandmother). Whisk the eggs together with the milk and vanilla.  Add in the Nutella and stir until smooth.

Switch over to a wooden spoon or spatula and mix in the dry ingredients.  If the mixture is too thick, you can thin it out with a bit more milk.

Grease a hot griddle and pour circles of batter.  Flip after a few minutes and finish cooking. 

Now, if you don't really know if you'll like these, halve this recipe - this makes a TON of pancakes, and they're quite filling.  At first I was elated, thinking I had breakfast for the kids to eat at school (daycare) all week, and then I remembered that Nutella is made with hazelnuts - a big no-no at school.  Instead, we had breakfast for dinner one night.

I found these to be so tasty with just a bit of butter. Mr. Juggling Act, as he is famous for doing, slathered on a huge dollop of fresh whipped cream from the local farm stand AND pure maple syrup - so indulgent!.  Ethan ate his with a few mini-chocolate chips sprinkled on top and Olivia had hers plain, and by the chubby fistful!