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How to Make Ridiculously Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies Using Pancake Mix

A chef says pancake mix creates cookies that are crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.

Headshot of Amy Schulman
Headshot of Amy Schulman
Amy Schulman Associate Editor / Chowhound
I'm an associate editor at Chowhound. I can frequently be found with an ice cream cone in hand.
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Headshot of Dan Avery
Dan Avery Former Writer
Dan was a writer on CNET's How-To and Thought Leadership teams. His byline has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, NBC News, Architectural Digest and elsewhere. He is a crossword junkie and is interested in the intersection of tech and marginalized communities.
Expertise Personal finance | Government and Policy | Consumer affairs
Amy Schulman
Dan Avery
2 min read
A rack of chocolate chip cookies

In a pinch, this kitchen staple can substitute for all-purpose flour and make crispy, delicious cookies.

 Wanwisa Hernandez/EyeEm/Getty Images

At the height of the COVID quarantine, many of us took up baking. That, coupled with supply chain issues and shortages, meant all-purpose flour was in short supply at many supermarkets. 

That was no problem for Bay Area chef Nathan Price. He discovered the perfect substitute for flour -- one you probably already have in the cupboard: pancake mix.

"Going to the grocery store and finding zero flour is obviously a problem, and you need convenience when you're trying to make cookies," he says. "Instinctively I was like, there are other things that have flour at the grocery store."

Birch Benders organic pancake and waffle mix

You can keep a 1:1 ratio. For every cup of flour called for, use a cup of pancake mix.

 Birch Benders

That thought process led him to the pancake mix shelf, which was rife with a huge assortment of brands.
Pandemic shortages have obviously abated -- at least when it comes to flour. But if you're looking to make cookies and don't have flour in the house, it's still a great kitchen hack.
Read more: Supermarket Shortages: 9 Items You Might Not Find on the Shelf

There are plenty of kinds of premade pancake mix -- from keto versions to ones with egg substitutes -- but Nathan recommends buying a basic variety made with just flour and a leavening agent that would lend itself to simple baking projects. (He used Birch Benders' organic whole-grain pancake and waffle mix.)

Once you've got your pancake mix and a chocolate chip cookie recipe (Nathan used this one from AllRecipes), you can pretty much keep to a 1:1 ratio -- for every cup of flour called for, substitute a cup of pancake mix. 

Fair warning: The cookies do come out a little differently than if you'd simply used flour.
"The one thing I noticed was [the cookies are] more airy and fluffy," Nathan said. "You know if you make a pancake and the first side produces all those bubbles? That basically happens in the oven, but cooks around the whole thing."
You might notice a crispier exterior with a softer inside -- which is not a bad thing.

Nathan theorizes that pancake mix would probably work just as well in a brownie or pound cake recipe.Â