First thing to know about these pancakes is that I love them. I want to eat them. Every. Day. In fact, I’m craving them right now. This is fairly big news in my little world because, as you probably don’t realize, I’m a bit of a pancake curmudgeon.

Yes, pancakes are great. In fact, I dare say, most people love them. Pillow-y soft, fluffy cakes soaked in maple syrup and butter. On the weekend, there’s nothing better— a reason to get out of bed and start your day, really. But, I’m a killjoy. In fact, I might even say I’m one of the few people who don’t particularly like them. Oh, it’s not because they aren’t delicious– pancakes done right can be truly amazing. I know they’re delicious. I want to eat them, but I just can’t do it. I think it comes down to the fact that I know better. I know they’re full of sugar and I will inevitably crash from said sugar shortly after eating them, putting me into an early morning food coma, thus ruining whatever grand plans I had for my day. So, I try to avoid them. That is, until I found this recipe. At first I was a bit skeptical about these. I knew the refined sugar content was not an issue since they’re made with whole wheat and oat flours, lots of complex carbs here, plus some protein and good fats from the extra virgin olive oil. With all that in mind I still planned on making these only for BH to enjoy. I piled his plate high and tried a bite, just to make sure they were good. What’s that? Okay, maybe I’ll take a whole pancake… or three. I gave in. I had to, you see. They were just that good. Perhaps I was just really hungry. But I don’t think so.

These pancakes topped with summer fruit and maple syrup are the perfect way to start a weekend. I made a quick strawberry mush by cutting up some fresh berries and sprinkling them with raw sugar. Followed by a quick squish-around with my hands and the fresh berries yielded their juice, creating a lush summer-in-a-glass syrup. A pile of these pancakes with strawberries and pure maple syrup is heavenly. Really, even plain and unadorned they hold their own. The nuttiness from the whole wheat and oat flour gives them heft, while the honey and olive oil provide depth of flavor, and the lemon brings it all together. Amazing!

These come together really quickly and can be made with soymilk, rice milk or regular milk in substitution for the almond milk used here. I used 2 egg whites, but as the original recipe states, one whole egg can be used. These can be made as healthy as you like and don’t give you the sugar crash normally sustained from eating too many “napcakes”.

I hope you give these a go. Any gorgeous fruit would work as a substitute to the strawberries—blueberries, nectarines, plums, oranges—go nuts.

Serves two very hungry weekenders.

Honey Whole Wheat & Oat Pancakes with Fresh Strawberry Syrup

Adapted from food.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup oat flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup almond milk (or 1 cup rice milk, 1 cup soymilk, or 1 cup regular milk)

1 tablespoon pure honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 egg whites (or 1 whole egg)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Fresh Strawberry Syrup

1 cup fresh strawberries, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon unrefined/raw sugar

Directions

Sift together oat flour, whole wheat flour and baking powder in large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl whisk together almond milk, honey, lemon juice, olive oil, egg whites and vanilla until completely blended (make sure the honey has not fallen to the bottom). Pour over the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Lumpy batter is definitely okay when it comes to making pancakes.

On a heated griddle pan ladle out pancake batter to desired size. Wait for bubbles to show throughout the surface of the pancake before you turn them. This is how you know they’re cooked through. Give them a flip and wait approximately 20 seconds before removing from pan.

Repeat until all batter is used up. Serve immediately topped with fresh berry syrup and real maple syrup.

Fresh Strawberry Syrup:

Roughly chop up the berries, or whatever fruit you’re using. Place into a medium sized bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar and squish with your hands to create a pulpy texture with lots of juice. You could use a potato masher, if you prefer, although it’s not nearly as much fun, or therapeutic for that matter.