Make pancake batter: To a large bowl, add butter, milk, eggs, molasses, sugar, vanilla, and orange zest. Whisk until well combined.
3 tablespoons (45g) melted butter, 1 1/4 cups (300g) milk, 2 large eggs, 1/4 cup (87g) unsulfured molasses, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, zest grated from 1 orange
Hang a sieve over the bowl, add flour, gingerbread spice mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the sieve. Stir together and sift into the bowl. (Sifting the dry ingredients is optional, you can also just stir them together in another bowl and add to the wet ingredients).
2 cups + 2 tablespoons (270g) flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon gingerbread spice mix, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt
Whisk until just combined. Don't overmix the batter, small lumps are fine.
Cook pancakes: Heat a small amount of butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat (adjust the heat to your stovetop, it can vary depending on how powerful it is).
Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Allow space for spreading. When you see bubbles on top of the pancakes, the edges look set, and the bottom of the pancake is lightly browned, flip them over. Cook until cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter to the pan between each batch of the pancakes.
Optional: make orange gingerbread syrup: Add orange juice to a medium saucepan. Cook over high heat for a couple of minutes or until reduced about in half or 2/3 in volume. Add maple syrup and gingerbread spice mix. Cook, whisking, for about a minute. The syrup will be a little bit too runny at this point but it will achieve the right consistency once cooled down. Pour the syrup over the pancakes.
2/3 cup orange juice, 1/2 teaspoon gingerbread spice mix, 1/4 cup maple syrup
I like to serve these pancakes with fresh orange segments.
Enjoy!