Whole Wheat Blueberry Lavender Pancakes

Written By Melissa Guzowski

 My husband and I developed this recipe together one Sunday morning rummaging through the pantry, and it has been a brunch staple in our house ever since. We had no milk and no all purpose flour left in the house, so we replaced what we could with what we had available. These replacement designed tweaks ended up changing the texture and flavor of the traditional pancakes we’ve grown accustomed to, and now we prefer the ingredients in this recipe to the traditional staples.

       Our first secret is replacing half of the milk with heavy cream. This gives the pancakes a true dense ‘cake’ texture. We balance out the cream with the other half of the liquid needed- Blueberry Lavender Milk. Any nut milk will work here, but this adds a layer of flavor that is hard to find elsewhere. Trader Joes makes and sells an almond milk based Blueberry Lavender Milk that we buy specifically for pancake making, but you could also easily infuse the almond milk you have on hand with lavender over night and then strain and blend in fresh blueberries in the morning for the same flavor base. I almost always add a combination of maca root* and cinnamon to my sweet batters (pancakes, waffles, cookies, etc.) because I love the combination of warming flavor it brings to the batter. For those who like an additional sweetness, you may still add a tsp of vanilla extract.

*Maca root powder may be an ingredient you want to leave out if it has contraindications with your health issues and/or medications, so abstain from using that ingredient if you are unsure.