If you’re looking for something special to make for somebody you love on Valentine’s Day – or any day, these Strawberry Heart Valentine Pancakes are EVERYTHING you’d want.

I’ve been making these pancakes for years. When it comes to pancake recipes, I’ve done my share of experimenting, but this recipe is now my go-to when I want quick and fluffy pancakes. Although they’re easy to make, the end result tastes like you spent more time than you did. These pancakes have that taste and texture quality you find at good pancake houses.

Simple Tips for Making these Strawberry Heart Pancakes

Buttermilk is always a good choice, but you can use milk and still get great results. You can also add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the milk if you don’t have buttermilk.
Mix by hand, and try not to overmix. I just use a fork to combine the wet and dry ingredients. If your mixture seems too dry, just stir in additional milk (doesn’t have to be buttermilk) until the pancake batter is wet enough to drop batter into the pan.
Spread the batter a little once dolloped in the pan. It’s also ok to shape a bit in the first few seconds.
Use a combination of oil and butter when preparing the pan. It’s not a must, but I always find it creates a nice even, golden brown color. And by combining the oil, the butter is less likely to burn.
Use a good, seasoned cast-iron pan. If not, a heavy-bottom skillet will do.
Add a little butter to individual pancakes as you’re staking them. It melts the butter and keeps them moist.
To make heart shapes with the strawberries, carefully carve out the stem with a sharp, pointy knife. Slice the strawberry in half and then cut a tiny V-shape at the wider top of the berry.

Print Recipe

Strawberry Heart Valentine Pancakes

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

Pancake Batter

1 ¼ c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
4 Tbsp butter melted, then cooled
1 c buttermilk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

For Cooking the Pancakes

1 Tbls vegetable oil
1 Tbls butter

Pancake Topping

8 fresh strawberries cut in strawberry shapes (see tips in post)
1 Tbls butter
2 Tbls pure maple syrup grade B

Instructions

Heat cast iron (or heavy bottom) skillet to medium.
In mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt; set aside.
In a medium size mixing bowl, lightly whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, egg and vanilla. Note: Be sure the melted butter has cooled before adding to the mixture.
Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and whisk or stir until combined. If mixture seems to dry, add more buttermilk (or whole milk) until mixture is almost pourable. It should still have a thick consistency and be lumpy. Let sit for at least 5 minutes before making pancakes.
Heat cast iron pan (or heavy bottom pan) to medium. When the pancake batter is ready, coat the bottom of the pan with half the vegetable oil and half the butter.
With a ladle or large spoon, drop about 1/4 cup of the batter onto the center of the pan. Smooth out the batter to create a round pancake. It should be about 3/4 inch thick.
When bubbles in the center of the pancake pop, flip the pancake. It's ok to lift the underside of the pancake with a spatula to peek to see if it's golden brown. Once flipped, cook another minute, or until the other side is golden brown. Continue with remaining batter, adding more oil/butter to pan as needed to keep pancakes from sticking.

Serving

Add a little butter between pancakes and on the top. Drizzle with syrup.
Arrange strawberries around the bottom of the stack. Review blog post for tips on how to shape strawberries into hearts.