Eggnog is a strange drink, yet probably one of the best. Not with alcohol, of course. Just plain old virgin eggnog. Yet it never occurred to me that one of its many applications might be on the majestic pancake. The tastes align perfectly if you think about it; the buttery fluffiness of the fried dough with the thick, creamy sweetness of the eggnog. When Kaitis told me IHOP had purportedly put these two together in one holiday dish for the ages, I just couldn’t resist.

The first thing I wanted to know was whether or not you could order these included with a meal, which was quickly answered by the flyer. You can order it with three different combos – Regular (two eggs, hash browns, 2 sausage links or 2 bacon strips – $5.99), Big (two eggs, hash browns, 2 sausage links and 2 bacon strips – $6.99), or Sampler (two eggs, hash browns, 2 sausage links, 2 bacon strips, and ham – $8.49). There are three other pancake options besides eggnog – pecan (caramel an pecans), gingerbread (whipped cream and christmas sprinkles), and pumpkin (syrup, whipped cream).

If you’ll notice the picture, there are little spots of what one would assume to be eggnog in between the pancakes, as well as one large one on top, under the cream. However, eggnog is not that thick. Turns out it’s a gelatinous sort of “vanilla cream”, kind of like pudding; the taste was a little generic and bland, but I guess it tasted a little like eggnog. The problem was that none of the spots in between pancakes were present on my batch. Aside from that, the pancakes were really good. The cakes themselves had a delicious buttermilk taste and the perfect density. The vanilla cream pudding whatever and the whipped cream and rum sauce on top made for some seriously tasty pancakes, whether or not they actually taste like eggnog.

Eggnog Pancakes

Out of all the holiday pancakes released, Pumpkin is the only one they should’ve come out with sooner. In the middle of December, with everyone eating awesome Christmas-y flavors like Gingerbread and Eggnog, I felt like the kid who got a Members Only jacket, Swatch and pet rock entirely too late. These would’ve been great in October and November, but as soon as I see my first Christmas light, my taste for Pumpkin is outta here like Thanksgiving.

Lateness aside, IHOP is obviously pretty good at making pancakes. They started with a buttermilk base and added delicious real pumpkin. It mixed relatively well with the buttermilk flavor, with it subtly coming through in a few bites. The smell was also like that of anything with pumpkin, strong and extremely pleasant. Adding all the extra orange made them appear burnt though, which made me at least raise an eyebrow when they got to the table. They’re served with whipped cream, which goes as well as it traditionally does with anything pumpkin. My only complaint was the soggy center of the pancakes, which was probably attributable to a not-so-good cook or too thick of a batter, but they weren’t as solid as a regular stack of pancakes should be. Overall, I like these enough to say try them. If I ever end up at IHOP again, I’d even like to try another flavor. If anything I’d get them just so they create more flavored pancakes; it’s a good idea they could expand on and make great.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Having not been to an IHOP in about a quarter of a decade and absolutely loved the place as a child, I was totally stoked for this visit. After assembling the team and setting off in a caravan of cars, we arrived at our destination, the International House of Pancakes. We strolled in at a leisurely pace and demanded booth seating. We were told that it would only be a moment, they had to clear the scraps from the humans before us. In a moment’s notice we were directed to a booth that was nice and tidy. The waitress then offered drinks. We went around the rectangle table placing our drink order, too complex to repeat (4 waters, 1 coffee). She left us to our menus and we began to converse on the “hot” topic of “cakes”. After settling who’s getting what, we were ready to order. We went around the table once again spitting our ours all over the waitress. When it came to my turn I ordered the Big combo with the Gingerbread Holiday Hotcakes. The waitress left with our freshly written orders in hand, not to return for the time it takes to drink three cups of adequate decaffeinated coffee.

When she reentered the picture she had pancakes. She sat mine in front of me and when I took a whiff of the cakes it reminded me of Christmases past and was indubitably the best part of these hot cakes. My tongue’s tasters told me that it was like a gingerbread man who couldn’t afford enough spice in his life. There was a gingerbread flavor but a very weak one at that. The pancakes themselves were very hot and fluffy, very pleasant in texture and consistency. The whip lacked body and taste. It was like a white cloud of nothing sitting atop my lackluster flapjacks. The sprinkles were lacking the christmas tree shape displayed in the picture; instead I received just red and green round ones. When I finished my cakes I moved on to the rest of my meal. We had intellectual conversations all around the table. When we finished our holiday feast, the waitress brought us our checks. She told us we could pay up front and she began to remove the empty dishes from the table. We paid and thanked them for their gracious hospitality and then we parted ways.

If you’re looking for a place to go with friends and/or family and want a decent and filling holiday breakfast at any time of the day in a pleasant diner-like setting, merry on over to IHOP. You don’t have much to lose besides a couple of laughs with the group you go with. Happy holidays everyone!

Gingerbread Pancakes