Oatmeal Whole Wheat Pancakes

Don’t let the title fool you, these pancakes may be healthier, but they are also packed with flavor and are incredibly fluffy and satisfying!

The struggle is real.  After a very gluttonous holiday season it seems like everyone (myself included) is trying to get back on track with healthy eating.  I absolutely adore pancakes, but they don’t always go along with a balanced diet.  There are tons of healthy, gluten-free, Paleo, etc. pancake recipes out there, but they all seemed to fall short on flavor or texture.  However, these pancakes are full of flavor, are very thick and fluffy, and good for you.  Yes, there is a small amount of brown sugar in the recipe for sweetness, but is also helps the pancakes hold together.  The sour cream or Greek yogurt replaces the oil or butter.  Trust me, it works.

I want to emphasize the “cake” part in these pancakes.  It really does feel like you are indulging with these dessert-like flapjacks.  Not to mention, mine always end up at least 1/2 inch thick!

These are pretty easy to whip up, and you can certainly add in goodies such as chocolate chips, fruit, or nuts.  I usually slice a banana and throw a few slices on each pancake while they cook.

And of course, a liberal schmear of Nutella is always appropriate.  There’s something special about the cinnamon-spice flavor of these pancakes, sliced bananas, and Nutella all together.  Whole wheat balances out the calories in Nutella, right?  Yes!

Go ahead and add these to your Sunday morning repertoire!  I usually make a big batch on Sunday then freeze the extras individually for a quick weekday breakfast – they even taste good sans the syrup or topping.  Happy New Year, y’all. 🙂

Oatmeal Whole Wheat Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour (or white whole wheat)

1/2 cup of quick-cooking oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3/4 cup milk (I used 1% milk)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/3 cup low-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, milk, brown sugar, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), and vanilla until everything is combined.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the large bowl of dry ingredients and stir together until just combined.  DO NOT OVER-MIX or it will result in tough, rubbery pancakes.
4. Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle to medium-high with a small amount of butter (or coconut oil, nonstick spray, canola oil, etc.) and pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the pan for each pancake.
5. Once the pancakes begin to form bubbles they are ready to carefully flip over and cook on the other side.  Before flipping, you may want to add fruit or chocolate chips.
6. Serve warm with your favorite pancake toppings such as maple syrup, Nutella, whipped cream, and so on!