Nothing evokes December, winter, or the holidays for me like anything gingerbread. I adore warming spices — the more, the better. The blend of cinnamon, cloves, and ginger feels like a cozy, intoxicating hug. Each year I share a gingerbread-inspired recipe: a vegan gingerbread that remains one of my favorites, a gingerbread trifle with poached pears, gingerbread biscotti, classic gingerbread cut-out cookies, and molasses-ginger cookies. Last year I taught a pear-cranberry gingersnap crisp that I haven’t posted yet, and there are gingerbread bliss balls in my cookbook.
This year’s new obsession is gingerbread pancakes. The recipe came together easily by adapting my standard whole-grain pancake base and adding my favorite gingerbread spice mix. I swapped maple for molasses — the traditional sweetener in gingerbread — and the result was wonderful.
Like my regular pancake batter, you can replace 3/4 cup of the flour with leftover almond pulp from homemade almond milk, or use any combination of grain flours you prefer. When I make pancakes or waffles I often use up different bags of flour. I also used this batter the next day to make waffles topped with sautéed apples — delicious.
This is an excellent Christmas morning breakfast since the batter can be mixed entirely the night before. If you’d rather not stand at the stove to cook each pancake, make them ahead and keep them warm in a 200°F oven. My son called his folded pancakes “tacos,” filling them with applesauce and chopped pecans — a clever, hands-on way to enjoy them. Wishing you a joyful holiday season; I’m grateful for every comment, message, and bit of feedback.
Shop the tools I used for this recipe by clicking on the images below!
Gingerbread Pancakes
Comment
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat or whole spelt flour*
- 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 cups buttermilk**
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons unsulphured molasses, (blackstrap tends to be bitter; use if you prefer)
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Melted, unrefined coconut oil for brushing the griddle
Instructions
-
Preheat a griddle to 400°F or medium heat.
-
In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
-
In a medium bowl or measuring cup, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, molasses, and melted butter until smooth. A blender works well for this step.
-
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined.
-
Brush the griddle with coconut oil and spoon about ¼ cup of batter per pancake onto the surface. If desired, add blueberries, chocolate chips, or diced banana on top. When bubbles form and edges look slightly dry, flip and cook until done. Maintain medium-low heat or 400°F.
Notes
**No buttermilk? Use 1 cup unsweetened yogurt mixed with 1 cup whole milk or a plant milk, or use 2 cups milk and replace baking soda with 2 teaspoons baking powder.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!