Chocolate Chip Pancakes -- The Morning I Said Thank You and Meant It

One week. I am one week from moving into the Pilsen apartment. The boxes are in the hallway. Patty is not going to make a thing of it but she is already making a thing of it in very small ways: she started cooking my favorite foods, just slightly more of them, so I have leftovers to take. There is already a container of the ziti in the freezer "for the first week in the new place." She would never say she is sad I am leaving. The frozen ziti says it for her.

Mother's Day this Sunday. I bought Patty a card and a gift card to TJ Maxx and a bunch of peonies from the farmers market because peonies are the thing that says "I mean this." She cried a little when I gave her the flowers. She said "They're beautiful" and put them in the tall vase immediately. We had brunch together at the kitchen table — French toast I made with thick-cut bread, eggs and vanilla and cinnamon, fried in butter in the cast iron, powdered sugar on top. She ate two full pieces and had a third half-piece that she said was just to finish it.

I said: thank you for letting me come home after graduation. She said "Of course." I said: it mattered. She said "I know." We sat there for a few minutes not saying anything, the Sunday morning light coming through the kitchen window and the peonies on the table and the powdered sugar still on the plates. This is my mother. This is the woman who called every morning at 7:15 and made chicken and dumplings when things were hard and put dish towels in a pile without saying they were from love. They were from love.

I am going to call her every day from Pilsen. She will call me first, at 7:15, which she will continue to do for the rest of my life. I will answer. I will always answer.

That Sunday morning — the peonies on the table, the powdered sugar still on the plates, my mom eating a third half-piece she didn’t need but wanted — is the kind of morning I want to hold onto. If you’re looking to recreate that same warm, indulgent weekend-brunch feeling at your own table, these Chocolate Chip Pancakes are the closest thing I can offer: thick, buttery, a little sweet, and best eaten unhurried with someone you love. Make them on a Sunday. Use real butter. Let someone have a third one.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4 (about 12 pancakes)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Powdered sugar and maple syrup, for serving

Instructions

1. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
2. Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
3. Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined — a few lumps are fine. Do not overmix or the pancakes will be tough. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Rest the batter. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes while you heat the pan. This allows the leaveners to activate and gives you fluffier pancakes.
5. Cook. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add a small pat of butter and swirl to coat. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto the surface. Cook until bubbles form on the surface and the edges look set, about 2—3 minutes. Flip and cook another 1—2 minutes until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter, adding butter to the pan as needed.
6. Serve. Stack the pancakes and dust generously with powdered sugar. Serve warm with maple syrup alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 11g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 60g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 380mg