Smashed Raspberry Dark Chocolate Buttermilk Pancakes

Not to sound cliche... but when I first saw this recipe posted on Joy the Baker's site, it was love at first sight. Raspberries... Dark Chocolate... Pancakes... Sunday morning breakfast... What else do you need to start a lazy day off the right way- a bit of indulgence, or as Joy says, "Breakfast Dessert." I liked that idea...  And after making these last weekend, I LOVED that idea. These pancakes will definitely be frequenting our breakfast table on a regular basis now, or at least on as regular of a basis as "Breakfast Dessert" responsibly allows...

I really enjoy finding fun ways to vamp up regular pancakes, and these were the perfect opportunity to experiment a little more, but with most of the leg work done for me this time since the recipe was close to perfect as it was.

And here is that close-to-perfect recipe now, with very minor adaptations made by me...

Smashed Raspberry Dark Chocolate Buttermilk Pancakes
(Adapted from Joy the Baker http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2012/01/smashed-raspberry-chocolate-chunk-pancakes/)

- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled a bit
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup fresh raspberries, rinsed and sprinkled with 1/2 tablespoon EACH honey and sugar
- Maple syrup/powdered sugar for topping
- Butter on nonstick spray for griddle

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients (through the cinnamon). Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, the melted butter, the egg, and the vanilla extract.
3. After the wet ingredients are thoroughly combined, add in the dry ingredients, mixing well. Add the dark chocolate chips and set aside while you preheat your griddle.
4. After the griddle is preheated, either melt your butter on top of it or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Drop the pancake batter about 1/4 cup at a time onto the griddle. Wait until the pancakes start to bubble, then flip and cook until browned.
5. Place cooked pancakes in a pan in the oven heated on "warm" setting to keep them hot and fresh while the other pancakes cook.
6. To serve, smash the raspberry mixture onto your plate, then top with a pancake, then more raspberry mixture, etc. Build your breakfast however you want! Top with powdered sugar, maple syrup, or just more raspberry mixture if you want! ENJOY! (And I promise you, you will...)

 I thought it was so delicious that the syrup wasn't all that necessary, and I enjoyed putting an extra few raspberries whole with some more dark chocolate chips on the top of mine. Ah-Mazing!!!

What breakfast do you enjoy the most that starts your day off with a bang? Although I was just recently introduced to these bad boys, this is now, and quite possibly forever, my favorite!