Picture this: it’s Saturday morning, the 5 year old asks to make sheet pan pancakes for breakfast. I’ve barely been awake for 5 min and have had NO coffee, but somehow I manage to agree. What happens next? Not my finest moment, that’s for sure!
It was all going ok to start, we got our ingredients out, preheat the oven, and decided on what kinds to make. We make this recipe so frequently that we all nearly know it by heart. We started measuring and mixing, me feeling a little grumpy about agreeing to something I wasn’t ready to tackle, her gleefully delighted to wake up and bake one of her favorite breakfasts. She got the dry ingredients mixed, I got the wet ingredients mixed, and then she poured half the wet ingredients onto the counter. It was a mistake, an honest, just being 5, her fine motor skills weren’t up to snuff, mistake. I wanted to yell, I wanted to just walk away and leave it (still no coffee at this point so I wasn’t my best self), I wanted to stop making these pancakes and just crawl back in bed. None of those options would’ve been super productive, and neither was the option I chose. I took a breath, looked at the mess, and kicked her out of the kitchen. Oops! Not my best work there.
What I should have done, and realized later, was NOT crush her for making a mistake, because we all do. (Clearly, I made one after she made one) I should have looked at that sweet face, told her it was no big deal, and helped her clean it up and move on. I’m lucky that not much bothers her and by the time these came out of the oven and we were eating she was fine. I apologized, I told her how I wish I had handled it, and she said “It’s ok mommy. We all make mistakes.” So there you have it, my 5 year old is already smarter then me. If you know her, you get it.
Anyway, we’re going to have a redo on this baking day later this week. She can pick the recipe and we’ll do it together this time…AFTER coffee when I’m less grumpy and more awake. (Perhaps another lesson I should learn is not to agree to something you’re not ready to do, no matter how adorable the person asking is.)
Here’s the recipe for our sheet pan pancakes. They’re worth making…just keep your cool!
Sheet Pan Pancakes
Preheat oven to 350
Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
In separate bowl mix together wet ingredients
2 cups milk (slightly warmed)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Poor onto parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Cut and eat!
We like to make lots off different kinds by things to the top of the pancakes before they cook. We’ve done chocolate chips, fresh fruit (thinly sliced), cinnamon and sugar…let your imagination guide you!
Let us know if you try the recipe and how they turn out. Happy baking friends! Come follow along on Facebook at 100 days of baking with kids or on Instagram @100daysofbakingwithkids.
100 days of baking with kids 