Carrot Cake Pancakes
Yields: 16 silver-dollar pancakes
 
These healthy pancakes taste just like the classic dessert, complete with a cream cheese drizzle! The recipe is easily doubled to serve more. The leftovers will keep for at least 4 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and they freeze really well, too.
  • for the drizzle
  • 1 tbsp (14g) Greek yogurt cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tsp nonfat milk
  • 8 drops vanilla crème stevia, or to taste
  • for the pancakes
  • 1 cup (120g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp pure maple syrup
  • ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • ¾ cup (180mL) nonfat milk
  • ¾ cup (95g) finely grated carrots (about 2 medium, peeled first!)
  1. To prepare the drizzle, stir together the Greek yogurt cream cheese, milk, and stevia in a small bowl. Transfer the mixture to a zip-topped bag. Set aside.
  2. To prepare the pancakes, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the butter, vanilla, and maple syrup. Mix in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. (If the butter or coconut oil re-solidifies, briefly microwave the mixture for 10-15 seconds.) Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour, stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.) Gently fold in the carrots.
  3. Lightly coat a large nonstick pan or griddle with nonstick cooking spray, and preheat over low heat.
  4. Using 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake, dollop onto the hot pan, and spread into a circular shape if desired. Let the pancakes cook for 2-3 minutes, or until a slight skin starts to form around the edges and the bottom is light golden brown. Slide a spatula underneath, and flip. Continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes or until light golden brown on both sides.
  5. Just before serving, cut off a small corner of the zip-topped bag. Top the pancakes with the cream cheese drizzle and pure maple syrup, if desired.
Notes: Well-softened Neufchâtel cream cheese may be substituted for the Greek yogurt cream cheese.

In the drizzle, 1 teaspoon of pure maple syrup may be substituted for the vanilla crème stevia. If using this substitution, omit the milk.

For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, if measured like this.

Whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the whole wheat flour.

For the best results, use the smallest holes of a box grater to grate the carrots. The standard-sized holes yield grated carrots that don’t fully soften while cooking. Do not substitute store-bought pre-shredded carrots. They’re much drier and will not soften while cooking.

For cooking tips, see the text and pictures in this blog post.

This recipe is easily doubled to make more. If you have any leftovers, they freeze really well too!

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, higher protein}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2016/05/03/carrot-cake-pancakes/