Something about holiday mornings makes everyone crave a simple and classic homemade breakfast.  Maybe it comes from being surrounded by family and friends, or it could be the blanketing sense of joy and celebration in the air. Whatever it is, we all wake up wanting a sweet and indulgent treat.

Pancakes for breakfast will bring you back to those childhood mornings.  As kids, we all mixed in the classics: chocolate chips, blueberries or bananas.  However, this holiday season you might be craving your childhood favorite with some more decadent and mature flavors.  Here are my favorite variations to try with your own pancake recipe.

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

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Photo from www.simplyscratch.com

For these pancakes, you’re going to need a little lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and poppy seeds.  Combine the granulated sugar with some lemon zest until it’s fragrant and add to your batter. Also add lemon juice to your wet ingredients and poppy seeds to the batter before it goes onto the griddle.  These taste like muffins in pancake form!

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

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Photo from www.pastryaffair.com

When it comes to pancakes, berries get all the attention and apples are somehow overlooked.  However, by adding a touch of cinnamon to your dry ingredients and some peeled and coarsely grated apples to the batter, you will get the perfect winter combination.

Coconut Pancakes

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Photo from www.howsweeteats.com

Subjectively, coconut flakes are one of the best ingredients.  They add crunch and extra sweetness to everything. My coconut flakes of choice are the Trader Joe’s Roasted Coconut Chips.  Fold some of these flakes into your pancake batter and enjoy this tropical rendition.

Eggnog Pancakes

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Photo from www.beingsuzyhomemaker.blogspot.com

This time of year is the heat of the eggnog craze.  We’ve moved on from the simple holiday drink and have started incorporating eggnog into everything.  By adding a cup of eggnog into your pancake batter, you can bring this winter flavor to your morning breakfast.