I love pancakes… I eat them once or even twice a week.
Pancakes are a comfort food and often an indulgent one. My kids love them too and it’s a great way to fill them up on the weekend. But of course I want them to be as healthy as possible while still tasting good and since I love to cook, I always prefer to make them from scratch.
So over the years I’ve experimented with different recipes and finally have arrived at what I consider to be the perfect pancakes and they are surprisingly healthy too! Plus, if you use a non-stick griddle to cook them you can save on fat there too. That way you can have a little butter on them if you want and not be too decadent.
- 1 c white flour
- ½ c wheat germ or ground flax
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- ½ c apple sauce (the individual kids servings is perfect) — this is the substitute for the ‘fat’ used in most pancake recipes
- 1 c low-fat milk or milk substitute like almond milk or soy
- ¼ c lowfat buttermilk (you can just use a milk substitute if you want this to be vegan but the buttermilk adds great flavor)
- Sift the dry ingredients
- In a separate bowl, beat two eggs (can substitute with egg whites only or vegan egg substitute) and add rest of wet ingredients
Now that is the base mix. I really like to create different flavors depending on what’s on hand and in season. Here are some ideas:
- Pumpkin/Squash Pie: add 1/2 tsp each of ground cinnamon and nutmeg plus 1/2 cup of pureed pumpkin or butternut squash, may need to add a little more flour if mix is too wet
- Fruit-Flavored: mix in favorite berries or chop up other fruits like banana, apple, strawberries, into small, 1/4″ pieces and mix
- Indian Inspired: add 1/2 tsp each of ground cinnamon and cardamon, add finely chopped pistachios and dates
I know chocolate is popular but for me it’s a little too sweet. Anyone else have a favorite flavor? Please share with your comment below.
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