Squeeze Bottle Pancake Art

• Transfer pancake batter to a squeeze bottle -- an empty washed ketchup or mustard bottle is ideal -- and use it to draw designs directly on a hot skillet. There are two approaches to this form of pancake art. One is to draw a design, let it cook for about 30 seconds, then fill in the rest of the pan with more pancake batter. When you flip the pancake, you'll see that the design part of the batter has cooked for longer than the rest of the pancake and is darker in color. The result is a full-sized circular pancake with a picture magically drawn on its surface. The second approach is to squeeze the batter onto the hot surface in a chosen shape and allow it to cook this way. The method works with letters and easy shapes, such as stars, hearts and spirals. Animals that are easy to create include an octopus with a circle and eight wiggly legs, a coiled snake, and a Mickey Mouse head shape. You can also squeeze the batter in a scribble-like pattern to resemble a funnel cake. Drop chocolate chips, banana slices, blueberries and strawberries into still-wet batter to enhance your designs.

Birthday Cake Pancakes

• Stir colorful sprinkles into pancake batter and the cooked pancakes will resemble birthday cake. A touch of vanilla will give the pancakes a more cake-like flavor. A stack of sprinkle-filled pancakes, perhaps with cream cheese spread in the middle, makes a special breakfast to serve to loved ones on their birthday. You can top the stack with a candle or two, and decorate it with a ring of halved strawberries around the edges. Another fun way to use sprinkles is to make circular pancakes with a hole in the middle, spread them with cream cheese, and scatter sprinkles over the top to resemble iced donuts.

Teddy Cakes

• Teddy pancakes consist of three small round pancakes and one larger one. The artistry is in the plating: Place two smaller pancakes at the top of the plate as the teddy's ears; set the larger one in the middle of the plate, covering the bottom edges of the two ears; then set the third small pancake on top of the larger one to be the bear's muzzle. Use chocolate chips, blueberries or dabs of chocolate sauce for eyes and a smile. To create a more colorful design, you can use plain pancake batter for the head and chocolate batter for the ears and muzzle. Use the same technique but with ears placed to the sides of the head to make a monkey.

Cookie Cutter Pancakes

• Cookie cutters are ideal for making mini pancakes with fun shapes. Only use metal or silicon cookie cutters; plastic ones might melt. Set the cookie cutter down on the hot skillet and pour pancake batter inside. Leave the cutter in place until it's time to flip the pancake. By that time, the batter will be set enough to hold its shape. Add flavorings or food coloring to the batter to match the theme of the cookie cutter shapes. For example, if you use gingerbread man cutters, add a little cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg to the batter. If you're using holiday cookie cutter shapes, such as Christmas trees and holly leaves, add green food coloring to the batter and include some chopped berries.

Pancake Pops

• Make miniature pancakes with the ends of lollipop sticks cooked into them for fun, bite-sized, dip-able pancake pops. You only need about a teaspoon or two of batter for each pancake. After about 30 seconds, when the pancakes have firmed slightly but are still wet in the middle, set a lollipop stick into each pancake. The end of the stick should sink into the middle. If necessary, use a spoon or knife to spread a little of the wet pancake mix over the end of the lollipop stick. Once the little pancakes are set and the edges are crispy, flip them over and cook on the other side until they're done.