Pancake Bites (Banana, Strawberry, Blueberry, and Chocolate Chip!)

I get up every morning at 6:25am so I can be ready for work at 6:30am. I work from home, did I mention that? Well, even in my half-awake state, I hate making breakfast. I'm lucky if I'm able to get a bowl of cereal together without forgetting an ingredient (you laugh but it has happened). I saw this Pancakes Bites idea floating around Pinterest and everyone seems to have their own take on it (gluten-free, vegan, etc.) so I decided to make try these out and see which flavor tasted the best. Now I challenge you to do the same - the best part? If you can't eat them all, stick 'em in the fridge and have 'em for breakfast tomorrow!

I wanted to try different filling ingredients (even though I prefer my pancakes plain) so here's what I tried:

*Bananas
*Strawberries
*Blueberries
*Mini chocolate chips

Start by preheating your oven to 350 and make your pancake mix however you like (here is a gluten-free and vegan-friendly recipe, if that's your thing). I wanted to make 12 mini pancake bites so I used 1 Cup of Bisquick, almost 1/2 Cup of milk, and 1 egg. Once it's whipped together, grease up your mini muffin pan and fill as equally as possible.

Next, add your fillings without overflowing. The key is to push them all the way to the bottom but also leave some on top.

Bake for 12 minutes (or until you think they're ready) and if you filled them to the top, they're going to puff up like little muffins.

Be sure to have some maple syrup on hand for dipping, otherwise they're a little bland. Here are my notes after trying them all:

*Banana = with maple syrup, really freakin' good, which surprises me. Husband agrees. Both say this is #1
*Blueberry = not bad but my least favorite. Husband says this is his #2 favorite.
*Chocolate = also really freakin' good. This is my #2. Husband not in the mood for chocolate. I say he has no soul.
*Strawberry = juicy inside, wish I added more strawberries to make even juicier

And there you have it kids - an easy, no mess solution to breakfast. Now I'm off to my fridge to make some more!

TOTAL COSTS: About $20 (if you don't have any ingredients - prices from Vons)

$3.50 for Bisquick

$2.29 for milk

$2.79 for eggs (though I only used 1)

$.69/lb for bananas

$3.99 for strawberries
$3.99 for blueberries
$2.50 for mini chocolate chips

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 22 minutes

10 minutes of prep (though if you don't use 4 different flavors, it'll go by faster!)

12 minutes of baking

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 1 out of 5

They're so easy to make, you have no excuse not to try them. Seriously, if you have leftovers, you can stick 'em in the fridge and save 'em for when you're too lazy to make breakfast!