Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Pancakes

Yesterday morning, my Facebook feed was filled with gorgeous photos of heart shaped pancakes that my friends were making for their significant others and I thought, "Hey, I haven't made pancakes in the longest time!  What a great idea!"  And then...I remembered why I never make them. Pancakes are like my white whale of breakfast foods.  I can never get them quite right- they always end up burned on the outside and not quite done on the inside. And pretty, occasion-appropriate shapes?  In my dreams!  But, it was Valentine's Day, I just bought a $9 jar of chocolate hazelnut butter, and I was determined to make a nice breakfast for hubs.

I read that whole wheat flour tends to make pancakes on the heavier side, so decided to try using mostly all purpose flour.  And I usually use apple butter or applesauce in lieu of butter/oil, but that also weighs things down, so I sacrificed the extra fat for a lighter, fluffier pancake. And it worked!  Mostly. They're still misshapen, and the outsides are ever so slightly browner than they should be, but they were delish. Just the right amount of chocolatey, hazelnutty flavor without being overwhelming. So, here they are: Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Pancakes!

Ingredients
-1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed +3 tbsp water)
-1 tbsp vegan butter, melted
-1 tbsp agave nectar
-1 tbsp vegan chocolate hazelnut butter (I used Justin's)
-1tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/8 tsp salt
-1 tsp pure vanilla extract
-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk of your choice)
-1/2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
-1/4 cup 100% whole wheat flour

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, mix up your flax egg by whisking flaxseed and water. Allow to sit about 5 minutes to gel
2. Add butter, agave, hazelnut butter, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla, and whisk to combine
3. Add almond milk and whisk until fully combined
4. Add flours, and stir until just combined (do not overmix)
5. Let batter rest for 5 minutes
6. Meanwhile, lightly grease a skillet with cooking spray, and heat to medium heat (careful not to let it get too hot)
7. Pour the batter onto your skillet in about 1/4 cup measures
8. Flip pancakes when the edges start to appear dry and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side
9. Serve with maple syrup, fresh fruit, or powdered sugar

Yield: about 6 pancakes


Nutrition (per 1 pancake):
Total fat: 3.7g (saturated- .5g, polyunsaturated- .5g, monounsaturated- .8g, trans- 0g)
Calories: 94
Sodium:339mg
Carbs: 13.3g
Dietary fiber: .9 g
Sugar: 3.2g
Protein: 1.7g

Food photography tip: put the less burned ones on the top