Picture this: it's the earliest game of the season, and there's barely enough time to properly tailgate, let alone go get the brunch of your dreams. You decide to DIY it for the budget and for convenience, so you whip out a classic: pancakes.
As you may have guessed, this was the situation I found myself in not too long ago. I'd never made pancakes before, so I was going with the safe bet—boxed mix. Since I was inviting friends over, though, I wanted to try to make these really good. I didn't have anything fancy in my fridge like chai or cake mix, so plunged the depths of my spice rack looking for something to add. Lo and behold, I found two simple spices that totally changed the game: vanilla extract and cinnamon.
I added a splash of vanilla and a dash of cinnamon to each batch of pancakes, and everyone who tried them said they were the best they'd ever had. Add some maple syrup, strawberries, or cookie butter as toppings and you've truly got the perfect pre-tailgate breakfast. Best of all, vanilla and cinnamon are ingredients that you'll use in almost every baking recipe and can add some serious class to anything you make.
Impress your friends and family by whipping these out.