Extra egg whites catapult chef's pancake breakfast to protein powerhouse

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Alex Guarnaschelli says there are simple ways to add more protein to your meals

New York City chef Alex Guarnaschelli tells Fox News Digital how she tries to find ways to add protein to her breakfast or brunch, while also maintaining the right balance.

Celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli believes in combining a love of cooking with an appreciation for America's firefighters — and she's got a few tricks up her sleeve, too, for handy ways to beef up the protein content of everyday meals.

She also considers "joy" a key quality in preparing healthy food. 

Her freshly made and original pancakes are the focus of her latest "Stacks for Giving Back" initiative with Nutella, the New York-based chef told Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview. (See the video at the top of this article.)

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"It's a program where you nominate your local firehouse, and selected firehouses will win a pancake firehouse breakfast gig — which provides all the essentials so they can host a pancake breakfast," said Guarnaschelli, best known for her work and appearances on The Food Network. 

"This is important because it's a traditional way that firehouses fundraise across America."

Celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli is participating in the "Stacks for Giving Back" program by Nutella. Based in New York City, she's shown above in Chicago during the kickoff of her 2025 initiative.? (Nutella)

She began the program last year and "received such a tremendous response from so many people who nominated their local firehouses," she said. 

"It was beautiful. It's kind of a no-brainer," she added, referencing her own involvement and why she's chosen to devote time to a cause that gives back to others.

"I love every bit of this."

"You don't often come across such a great combination of product integration and a beautiful cause: the Nutella tie-in with pancakes, firehouses across America and fundraising for our first responders in this country," she said. 

"I love every bit of this."

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The stacks of pancakes, she said, "end up being a way for people to give back. It feels really natural and true."

Guarnaschelli said the pancakes she's offering are "really the main character in the play. These cinnamon cloud pancakes with the egg whites folded in — they're nice and fluffy. And then there are raspberries on top. And Nutella," which has been around since 1964.

Gournaschelli, right, shared with Fox News Digital the details of her Cinnamon Cloud Pancake recipe — and why she believes in cooking with "joy" no matter the occasion. (Nutella; Fox News Digital)

She stressed that "folding those egg whites into the pancake batter adds so much more protein to the equation — which I love. Everything we add here enhances the program."

Amid today's Make America Healthy Again movement — and addressing the ramped-up interest across the country right now in healthy eating and nutritious foods among so many Americans — Guarnaschelli noted that "two thirds of the protein in an egg is in the white. So these [pancakes] have a ton more protein and are lighter and fluffier at the same time."

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That was her "motive" for these ingredients in her recipe. 

"We're always trying to squeeze that extra bit of protein into a meal like brunch or breakfast," she said. 

"When I developed this pancake, I was like, 'How can I sneak more protein in here and have it be fun? And I often make frittatas with cottage cheese folded into them instead of cheese. Right? To get that added protein."

"When you cut everything out and you make it only about those added proteins … my brain's like, 'We didn't have any fun today. You didn't feed the joy meter.'"

"The other thing I want to say is when you cut everything out and you make it only about those added proteins, those healthy things — for me, it reaches a tipping point where my brain's like, 'We didn't have any fun today. You didn't feed the joy meter.'"

And "I think that you need to do that," she said. 

Raspberries are Guarnaschelli's favorite topping on her breakfast pancakes. (iStock)

"So if you have a reasonable portion — say, two tablespoons of Nutella on these protein-rich pancakes with fresh fruit, preferably raspberries — that's my favorite combination. You're striking that balance where there's some playfulness, there's some deliciousness, there's awesome fruit fiber, there's added protein. And you made it yourself."

She said it's about "making people not get too far away from their comfort zone" in terms of their cooking abilities.

"I find that often when I'm sharing recipes and food with anybody on any platform, it's about some little tweaks," Guarnaschelli said. 

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If it's roast chicken, for example, "add some vegetables that are roasted along with the chicken, which maybe they wouldn't have done before. And then you can add some bone broth, which is so healthy, and maybe a dash of apple cider vinegar — healthy and acidic."

"Ooh, that was good. I'm going to make that again. That worked."

"And then purée some of those roasted vegetables with the bone broth and mustard and the apple cider vinegar," Guarnaschelli continued. 

"And you've got this naturally thickened gravy — no flour, no cornstarch, no nonsense — that you made yourself while you were cutting the chicken." 

That's some "home cooking, some innovation and some technique applied — but we still feel like, 'Ooh, that was good. I'm going to make that again. That worked.'"

For all those who want to try her pancakes (extras of which can be stored in the fridge, she noted, for a delectable snack later), here's her Cinnamon Cloud Recipe, as shared by Chef Guarnaschelli with Fox News Digital. She appears on such Food Network shows as "Iron Chef America," "Chopped," "Supermarket Stakeout" and "The Kitchen."

Chef Guarnaschelli's Nutella Cinnamon Cloud Pancakes

Cook time: 8-9 minutes per batch

Yield: 4 cups batter, 8-9 pancakes, serves 3-4

Equipment: circle mold/cookie cutter, 3-3? inches in diameter

Ingredients

1? cups full fat buttermilk

? stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

1? cups all-purpose flour

? cup confectioners' sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1? teaspoons cinnamon

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? teaspoon dry ginger

3 large egg whites

? teaspoon cream of tartar

Nonstick spray

2 tablespoons Nutella

The ingredients for Guarnaschelli's Cinnamon Cloud Pancakes include raspberries and two tablespoons of Nutella. (Nutella)

Directions

1. Start the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, vanilla, salt and the egg yolk. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger right over the wet ingredients and whisk only to combine.

2. Preheat oven to 300F.

3. Add the egg whites: In the clean bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form, 4-5 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter. Don’t mix a lot. There should be streaks of egg white not fully combined. The key is to mix as little as possible and keep the whites fluffy.

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4. Start the pancakes: Heat a large skillet with a fitted lid over low heat and spray with nonstick spray. Spray the inside of a (3–3? inch in diameter) ring mold with spray. Place the ring mold on one side of the skillet. Using ? cup measure full of batter, fill the mold with the batter. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Gently remove the ring. Turn the pancake on its second side and let it cook 3-4 additional minutes.

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5. Pancake: Clean and spray the ring and make a new pancake some distance from the first. Repeat and start a third one. Cook each pancake 4 minutes on the first side or until brown and an additional 4 minutes.

6. Storing and serving: Keep the pancakes warm on a baking sheet in the oven. Arrange on a serving platter. 

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This recipe is owned by Alex Guarnaschelli and was shared with Fox News Digital. Through April 30, fans can nominate their local fire department at NutellaStacksforGivingBack.com for a chance to receive a Nutella Pancake Breakfast Kit for fundraising.