Healthy Gingerbread Pancakes
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Yields: 20 silver dollar pancakes
 
These yummy pancakes are perfect for the holidays, Christmas morning breakfast, or any chilly winter morning! They’re moist and fluffy with lots of rich spice flavor. They remind me of eating my favorite gingerbread cookies—just as a healthy breakfast instead! Leftover pancakes will keep for at least 5 days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and they freeze really well too!
  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp (135g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground allspice
  • ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
  • 1 large egg white, room temperature
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 ½ tbsp (22mL) molasses (not blackstrap!)
  • 1 tbsp (15mL) plain white vinegar
  • ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
  • 6 tbsp (90mL) water
  • optional: almond drizzle, for serving (see Notes—highly recommended!)
  1. Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg white, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the molasses and vinegar. Stir in the milk. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the water, beginning and ending with the flour, stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.)
  2. Lightly coat a large nonstick pan or griddle with nonstick cooking spray, and briefly preheat over low heat.
  3. Using a scant 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake, dollop the batter onto the hot pan, and spread into a circular shape using a spatula or back of a spoon (if desired). Let the pancakes cook for 2-3 minutes, or until a slight skin starts to form around the edges. Slide a spatula underneath, and flip. Continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes or until cooked through. Re-coat the pan with nonstick cooking spray, and repeat with the remaining batter.
Notes: For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, 2 tbsp (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.

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

Remember to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will dry out your pancake batter.

This is the molasses that I use. I do NOT recommend substituting for the molasses, if at all possible. It’s a big part of the iconic gingerbread flavor. (It’s also shelf-stable, keeps for ages, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!) In a pinch, pure maple syrup, honey, or agave may be substituted, but your pancakes won’t have quite the same classic gingerbread flavor.

These pancakes aren’t overly sweet—and that’s intentional! Because my family usually covers their pancakes in lots of maple syrup, I found that adding more sweetener to the batter was completely unnecessary. (Especially if you make the optional but HIGHLY recommended drizzle below!)

However, if you prefer sweeter pancakes, replace 2-4 tablespoons of milk with an equal amount of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave. (For example, if adding 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, then reduce the milk by 2 tablespoons [which would now be 2 tablespoons of milk instead of ¼ cup].)

You cannot taste the vinegar in the fully cooked pancakes! It fully reacts with the baking soda, which helps your pancakes rise and turn puffy in the pan, and it also helps with their moist and fluffy texture.

Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

Remember… Thick batter = thick pancakes. Thin batter = thin pancakes. However, when you add thick batter to your pan, it doesn’t spread, so you’ll need to spread it a bit yourself using a spatula, the back of a spoon, or the bottom of a measuring cup to get that nice, circular pancake shape.

For thicker pancakes, decrease the water by 2 tablespoons.

For thinner pancake batter, add more water or milk until you achieve your desired pancake batter consistency.

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

Vegan Option: Use coconut oil (or any other oil!). My favorite vegan alternative for the egg white is 1 ½ teaspoons of Ener-G + 2 tablespoons (30mL) of warm water.

Optional Drizzle: In a small bowl, stir together 6 tablespoons (90g) confectioners’ style erythritol, ½ teaspoon almond extract, and 6-7 teaspoons of milk (any kind!). Transfer to a zip-topped bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle over the pancakes.

For more cooking tips, see the blog post above, as well as the text and pictures in this blog post of mine.

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2019/12/15/healthy-gingerbread-pancakes/