Gingerbread Pancakes

Oh my, I can't even tell you how good these are. I have always had an infatuation with gingerbread pancakes and the other day I finally got around to creating a whole wheat version. These pancakes are light and fluffy, filled with the wonderful flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. I like to cook mine so they are just a tad crispy on the edges and then smother them with melted butter and maple syrup. The smells of gingerbread filling your kitchen on a cool fall morning is one of the best ways I can think of to start your day.

Gingerbread Pancakes
This is a large recipe and can be easily cut in half. I always like to make big batches of pancakes and freeze them. On busy mornings heat your oven to 350 degrees and put the pancakes in the oven (you can do this while the oven is heating up) and leave the pancakes in there for about 20-25 minutes. Go get yourself ready for the day and when you come back, pull the pancakes out of the oven and you will have pancakes that taste as if you just cooked them on the griddle. (you also get the added benefit of the gingerbread aroma filling your kitchen) Serves 8-10.

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup muscovado (a dark and very rich brown sugar, you can find this at most grocery stores)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
2 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup brewed herbal coffee (such as teccino)
3 large eggs separated
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
coconut oil or butter for frying
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup maple syrup

In a large bowl mix egg whites and muscovado sugar until well combined. Add buttermilk, milk, and herbal coffee and stir to combine. Melt butter and whisk together with egg yolks in a small bowl. In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Add the yolk mixture to the buttermilk mixture and stir until combined. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and quickly whisk together until just combined. Let sit for about 5 minutes before cooking.

In a small pot heat butter and maple syrup over low heat. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat and then add a teaspoon or so of coconut oil to the pan. Add the batter, by ladle-fulls and cook until little bubbles appear on edges and middle of pancake. Flip and cook on the second side until golden brown and cooked through in the middle. Drizzle warm maple syrup and butter over top and serve immediately.

Tip: If you are serving a large amount of people and you want to make some of these ahead of time, fry them as noted above and then place pancakes on a cooling rack set over a cookie sheet. Put them in the oven heated to 170 or so degrees to keep them warm. The cooking rack will keep the pancakes from getting soggy.