I love to go out for breakfast – and even though I am pretty much an egg person, I enjoy looking at the menu to see what types of pancakes the chef has come up with.  It seems like every restaurant has their *special* version of pancakes.  Most of the time it is not too unusual:  pumpkin pancakes in the fall, apple pancakes, gingerbread pancakes around the holidays, but every once in a while I am amazed at the creations.  I was reading my Cooking Light this month and noticed a section on Denver, CO (where I lived for a few years) – there was a breakfast place that they noted had lines snaked out the door and around the block.  That is my kind of place.  They printed their version of Carrot Cake Pancakes, and I just had to give them a try.  Now, as I have mentioned before, my kids love their pancakes for breakfast  – but they are not into vegetables – so I knew this would be a challenge – but one that I was up for.  I grated the carrots as finely as I could (as the recipe stated) – and that was the key.  The carrots were able to cook so they were nice and soft, and both girls ate them – ok, one liked them more than the other – but they were a hit.  With the honey butter on top, it was a perfect breakfast treat.  The recipe comes from Snooze in Denver, and was printed in this month’s Cooking Light.

Ingredients

• 5.6  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1/4  cup  chopped walnuts, toasted
• 2  teaspoons  baking powder
• 1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground nutmeg
• Dash of ground cloves
• Dash of ground ginger
• 1/4  cup  brown sugar
• 3/4  cup  low-fat buttermilk
• 1  tablespoon  canola oil
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
• 2  large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2  cups  finely grated carrot (about 1 pound)
• Cooking spray
• 3  tablespoons  butter, softened
• 2  tablespoons  honey

Preparation

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through ginger) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through eggs); add sugar mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in 2 cups carrot.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon 4 (1/4 cup) batter mounds onto pan, spreading with a spatula. Cook for 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 1 minute or until bottoms are lightly browned. Repeat procedure twice with remaining batter. Combine butter and honey in a small bowl; serve with pancakes.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 pancakes and about 2 teaspoons honey butter)

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here:  Carrot Cake Pancakes