In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix well. In a large mixing bowl whisk together milk, egg and melted butter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until fully incorporated.
Double chocolate pancakes:
When making the base pancake mix, add four tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder to the dry ingredients, and increase the sugar to 1/4 cup. Once the base pancake mix is made, fold in one cup dark chocolate chips.
Add a little bit of canola oil to a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add a tablespoon or two (depending on what size you want your pancakes) of the batter to the pan. Smooth out with the back of a spoon. Cook until you see a few bubble on the edges of the pancake begin to burst. Flip the pancake and cook for an additional one to two minutes. Transfer to a platter.