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.
| Perfectly Healthy Pancakes |
- 1 c white flour
- 1/2 c wheat germ or ground flax
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 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
- 1/4 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
Sifting the dry ingredients is very important, without sifting you can get a baking powder aftertaste which is not yummy.
The apple sauce (the individual kids servings is perfect) — this is the ‘fat’ substitute used in most pancake recipes
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.
Pingback: Mango Molasses Corn Cakes | Amor y Sabor (Love + Flavor)