1. Sift together dry ingredients; flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

2. In a separate bowl with a whisk or electric mixer, mix together egg, milk, melted butter and vanilla.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and combine until a thick batter is formed.

4. Add a few drops of red food coloring to turn the pancake mix a lovely shade of pink.

Note: this step can be skipped if you are not making pancakes for Valentine's Day.

5. Put the pancake batter in a pastry bag or large freezer bag for piping. Cut the tip from the bag when ready to use.

Note: a squeeze bottle can also be used for this step as well.

6. Preheat a large skillet, frying pan or griddle over medium heat.

7. Squeeze tablespoon size drops of batter onto the hot nonstick pan.

8. Cook until the pancake is golden brown on each side, approximately 1 minute.

Tip: look for browning around the edges of the pancake to know that the first side is done and then flip pancakes to cook the second side.

9. Use a bamboo skewer to create festive stacks of pancakes and place a heart shaped apple on top.

10. Top with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup for serving.