Bunny Pancakes for the Picky Eater — DIY

GiangStarCreations
Sep 9, 2018 · 4 min read

Like I’m sure with most families, it can be a struggle in the morning to get your kids to eat breakfast - let alone a healthy breakfast. I’m just happy when Aria eats anything at all. So I started making her ‘customised’ pancakes. And what I mean by ‘customised’ is, I ask her what kind of pancakes she would like, and then I attempt to make ‘em. So far per her request I have made pancakes shaped and designed like: hello kitty, unicorns, butterflies and any character from Yo Gabba Gabba (stay tuned for a future blog post for these). And the added challenge is since Aria only likes plain food, she does not want any food-colouring in her pancakes. So I also had to figure out a way to include detail in my pancakes with the absence of colour. I figured out an easy way to do this, which I include in my instructions below.

This morning I wondered, what will Aria want for brekkie? Will this morning be a struggle to get her to eat, or will she be cooperative? I asked her, what do you want to eat? I suggested a few things (e.g. eggs, bacon, toast), which she immediately said ‘no’ to each. She also suggested a few things (e.g. ice cream, tiny teddies, crackers), which I immediately said ‘no’ to each. I then suggested ‘pancakes’ and she paused. Before she could change her mind I immediately asked her, what kind of pancakes do you want? Then I piqued her interest by naming some of her favs (e.g. unicorns, Foofa, etc). She requested a ‘bunny’ pancake, so I am making her a Rebecca Rabbit pancake from Peppa Pig. It’s already a little win to the day that she is interested in eating brekkie. An even bigger win is that Aria actually volunteered to be my little helper in this video. Please watch the video of our pancake-making adventures, and feel free to refer to the easy step-by-step instructions below the video.

Oh and another exciting moment of creativity, this is the first video I’ve made using footage from our new GoPro — which I will share more info in an upcoming post.

Watch our video making bunny pancakes

DIY — How to Make Bunny Pancakes:

Ingredients & utensils

  • pancake mix (pre-made or from scratch)
  • water
  • cooking spray
  • spatula, whisk
  • squeeze bottle
  • medium-sized bowl, frying pan

My easy pancake-making tips:

  • Use a photo reference. Whatever design you want to make, search for a photo of it on the internet. You can use your phone, tablet, laptop, etc. Place it where you can easily view it whilst cooking.
  • Use a squeeze bottle. This is so easy and literally changed my pancake game! It allows you to easily, free-hand draw pancake designs. I purchased one at the local grocery store for less than $5. You could even have a few if you want to use different colours in your design.

Instructions

  1. Make the pancake batter: Pour some pancake mix (pre-made or made from scratch) into a medium-sized bowl. Add water. (I’ve done this so many times now that I usually just guesstimate how much pancake mix and water to add. You can follow instructions on the pre-made pancake mix packaging if unsure.) Whisk until smooth. Add more water if the batter is too thick. Ideally you want the batter to be a consistency that is not too think and not too thin. Pour the batter into the squeeze bottle. Now you are ready to start cooking!
  2. Make the outline of your pancake design: Heat the pan to a medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Once the pan is hot, squeeze pancake batter out of the squeeze bottle slowly and steadily to draw the eyes, nose, mouth, and cheek circles of Rebecca Rabbit. Next draw the outline of her head and ears into the pan with the pancake batter. Refer to your photo reference as needed. Let the face features and outline of your pancake design cook for a little bit. You will see the pancake batter start to form little bubbles in it as it starts to cook.
  3. Fill in your pancake design: Once the batter of your outline is cooked and the bottom side has turned a golden brown, quickly and evenly fill-in the rest of your pancake design with pancake batter. Once evenly filled, let the pancake cook further. Again, you will see little bubbles form in the batter as the pancake cooks.
  4. Flip and cook the other side: Once the filling is cooked and the bottom side has a light golden brown colour, carefully flip your pancake over so the other side can cook. The other side should cook quickly and will be a golden brown once done. (Haha, if you notice in the video I actually drop the pancake when trying to transfer it to the plate. Aria thought it was pretty hilarious!)
  5. Now for the best part — time to see how the pancake has turned out. Success!! I am super excited with the results! The pancake looks a lot like the reference photo and I can see details in it. You will notice that the outline of the pancake is a darker golden brown colour, and the filling is a lighter golden brown colour. This is the exact effect you want. The difference in cooking times and colours will allow you to have some detail in your pancake. Of course the final test is Aria…will she like the pancake? Will she even eat it? Will she recognise what I made? I get the thumbs up and an empty plate when she is done, so I am happy with the results.

GiangStarCreations

Written by

Supermom, DJ/producer, professional, team leader, artist and creative mind. My blog is the display case for my creative ventures and DIY adventures with Aria.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade