Happy Friday, friends! I don’t know about you, but pancakes are without a doubt my favorite weekend breakfast treat. There’s something so indulgent about a steaming stack of freshly-cooked griddle cakes, dripping with butter and maple syrup. I make different variations depending on the season: pumpkin spice pancakes in the fall, blueberry pancakes in the summer, and buttermilk pecan pancakes year-round. Because they are so decadent, I don’t make pancakes often – but when I do, I enjoy every last bite.

Recently, while I was out in Sonoma, I had the chance to sample some gluten-free, protein-packed pancakes made from ground almonds. Not only were they delicious, but they were actually quite healthy! They were totally wheat-, dairy-, and sugar-free, and I noticed that I didn’t feel the typical carb-crash I experience after eating regular pancakes for breakfast.

Once I got home, I reached out to the California Almond Board for the recipe, and started playing around with it. Theirs was dairy-free, with a super-thick, egg-y batter (which I somehow managed to burn on the outside and undercook on the inside). I decided to reduce the number of eggs, and add in some milk to thin out the batter. (If you’re dairy-free, just use almond milk or water.) I swapped out the agave nectar for honey, and cut the amount in half to make it less sweet, and added in some cinnamon. Then I doubled the recipe to serve 4, and made the pancakes slightly larger than their recommended tablespoon-size serving.

Almond-Pancakes2

The end result? Fluffy, delicious, gluten-free pancakes easy enough to whip up on a weekday morning (or for a weekend brunch). For more protein and less sugar, skip the butter and maple syrup and serve them with low-fat Greek yogurt and berries. Try out a batch this weekend, and let me know your thoughts! I’m pretty sure you’re going to love them…

Have a wonderful weekend!

Xo, Anna

[recipe:best-gluten-free-almond-pancakes-recipe]