The scene of the crime: vacation breakfast at a hotel. My son took one bite of the pancakes and pledged his love for this mythical food that had never been served at home. A pancake monster was born. Now what?

Not only did he now desire these fluffy pillows of goodness at home, but he wanted them on an average weekday when Mommy is getting ready for work and school…. Of course!

So, here’s what we did:

1. We adapted this delicious Cook’s Illustrated recipe for Fluffy Whole Wheat Pancakes to make it a little healthier
2. We cooked up huge batches and froze them in between parchment paper and stored them in Ziploc freezer bags
3. We microwave individual pancakes on weekday mornings and adorn them with a bit of maple syrup and LOTS of berries (or other available fruit)

These tamed my monster! Try them on yours.

Fluffy Whole Wheat Pancakes *

Ingredients:

• 2 cups – Whole-wheat flour
• 2 cups – Ground flaxseed powder
• 4 tbsp – Sugar
• 3 tsp – Baking powder
• 1 tsp – Baking soda
• 1 tsp – Salt
• 4 ½ cups – Buttermilk (lowfat)
• 4 – Eggs
• 5 tbsp + 1 tbsp – Coconut oil

Method:

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
2. Melt 5 tbsp of coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl (set microwave to 30 seconds, check status and continue with another 30 seconds and so on until melted) and let cool slightly
3. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients (including the melted coconut oil) – mix well until it forms a batter
5. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add your last tablespoon of coconut oil. Once it’s melted, wipe the pan with a paper towel and reserve
6. Using a ¼ cup measuring spoon, dollop portions of batter into the pan
7. Allow pancakes to cook on first side until edges are set, bubbles are beginning to show on the surface and it is golden brown. Flip pancakes and continue to cook until the second side is golden brown
8. Transfer pancakes to a wire rack to cool
9. Line pancakes in between parchment paper, store in a Ziploc bag and freeze

*Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated recipe