Did you know that there is such a thing as "National Pancake Day?" I'm serious! National Pancake Day is March 7th this year. While you may be rolling your eyes thinking that this country will name a day to celebrate anything, National Pancake Day was started by IHOP as a fund raiser. Guests are served free pancakes in return for a charity donation.

IHOP created National Pancake Day with good intentions, but I'd like to encourage you to be good to a charity and good to yourself by making these Grain-Free Pancakes with Maple Butter Sauce instead. Why, you ask? Because not only are these pancakes more nutritious than typical pancakes and friendly to special diets (gluten-free and vegan), the Maple Butter Sauce has less than half the sugar of regular maple syrup!

Regular maple syrup contains 53 grams of sugar per 1/4 cup serving (which is the typical amount of syrup used for a serving of pancakes). In comparison, this Maple Butter Sauce only contains 19 grams of sugar! But I promise you won't feel deprived. The combination of these Grain-Free Pancakes with this Maple Butter Sauce tastes like a Cinnamon Roll from Cinnabon. It's so, so good!

Not only does this Maple Butter Sauce have less than half of the sugar of regular maple syrup, these Grain-Free Pancakes are also more nutritious. Almonds are a good source of biotin, vitamin E, magnesium, potassium, manganese, copper and calcium. In addition, their composition of healthy fats, protein and fiber help with feelings of satiety and blood sugar balance, both of which help with weight loss and heart health.

But there's more to it than that. Almonds are rich in monounsaturated fats, which research shows are good for cholesterol levels, and evidence shows that magnesium is good for blood pressure. Add to it the antioxidant potential of the vitamin E, copper and manganese and almonds are a nutritional powerhouse!  (source, source) 


Here are a few tricks you need to know to make these pancakes:

• Use potato starch! Tapioca starch does an excellent job of making my Grain-Free Tortillas stretchy and pliable, but it makes these pancakes gummy on the inside. Be sure to use potato starch for pancakes that are thick and fluffy.
• Cook at low heat! Not only does almond flour burn easily, but using a low heat setting on your burner allows the inside of the pancakes to cook before the outside burns. I set my burner at 2.6 out of 9.
• Use a good griddle! I just replaced the one I had for years. While the one I had was okay and last several years (Cuisinart), I love the All Clad Griddle I just bought! It is free of PFOS, one of the toxins that is sometimes found in non-stick pans. I wanted to avoid those toxins as much as possible without going back to a ceramic griddle, which I tried several years ago and did not like.

And with that, let's get on with the recipe so you can make these delicious Grain-Free Pancakes with Maple Butter Sauce for Pancake Day!

Grain-Free Pancakes 

Gluten-free | Grain-free | Vegan | Dairy-free | Egg-free | Sugar-Free

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Makes about 6 pancakes 

Ingredients:

-   2 cups almond flour
-   ¾ cup potato starch
-   1 Tbsp baking powder
-   ¼ tsp salt
-   ½ cup applesauce
-   1 ¼ cup water or plain and unsweetened non-dairy milk

Directions:

Get a griddle heating to LOW – MEDIUM-LOW heat (I use a setting of 2.8 out of 9).

Maple Butter Sauce

Vegan Option | Dairy-free Option | Reduced Sugar

Makes about 18 ounces

Ingredients:

-          ¾ cup (6 oz) maple syrup 
-          ½ can (about 7 oz) coconut milk 
-          ½ cup (1 stick) of butter (Spectrum or Nutiva non-hydrogenated Shortening for vegan option)
-          1/8 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Heat maple syrup and coconut milk in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Once it’s at a simmer, remove it from the heat and wisk while adding the butter or vegan butter, a couple of tablespoons at a time. Add cinnamon and wisk well.

Drizzle over pancakes and enjoy!



This pancake recipe was inspired by a post by The Daily Dietribe that is no longer available.



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