Name: Halloween Cocoa Ghost Pancakes
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H50M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT1H0M0.000S
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note); 6 tablespoons sugar; 1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder; 1/4 cup cornstarch; 1 tablespoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1 1/4 cups milk; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 large eggs; One 11.5-ounce jar hot fudge topping, for decorating; Whipped topping, such as Cool Whip, for decorating; Assorted sprinkles, for decorating; Mini chocolate chips, for decorating; Blueberries, for decorating

Directions

Special equipment:

3- to 4-inch ghost cookie cutters; a small icing bottle fitted with a small round tip, optional

Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Whisk together the milk, butter, vanilla and eggs in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated (it's okay if there are some lumps). Let the batter rest for 5 minutes.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Ladle 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet, spreading it into a 5-inch round; repeat to make a second pancake. Cook until the pancakes are bubbly on top and the edges are beginning to set, about 45 seconds. Flip the pancakes and cook until the undersides are golden and the batter is cooked through, about 30 seconds more. Transfer the pancakes to a platter and repeat with the remaining batter. 
Place the pancakes on a cutting board and use 3- to 4-inch ghost cookie cutters to cut a ghost from each pancake. (Save the pancake scraps--you can serve those too.)
Remove the lid from the hot fudge topping and microwave until smooth but still thick, 10 to 20 seconds. Carefully transfer the hot fudge topping to a small icing bottle fitted with a small round tip. You can also just use a small piping bag with the tip cut off. (If you need to reheat the fudge topping, be sure to remove the metal piping tip first.)
Using a small offset spatula, spread each pancake with whipped topping. Decorate with sprinkles, chocolate chips, blueberries and the hot fudge topping.

Cook’s Note

When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)