Pancakes for Christmas

‘Tis the season for family, festivities and… food. I imagine every family has its own cherished traditions and treats for celebrating Christmas. For many years, a big part of Christmas for me was baking. Shortly after Thanksgiving, I’d start dreaming up a list of treats to be made– usually a balance of tried-and-true favorites and fun, new recipes.

The past couple years have a been a bit different. Now, Christmas falls in the middle of wrestling season. Even with the extra two pounds wrestlers are allowed after the holiday, making weight is easier if I don’t make any Christmas cookies.

Plus, last winter, I was laid up in a sling for the entire season. I couldn’t even fry eggs with one arm, let alone bake. (I’m delighted to share that my shoulder is now nearly back to 100% and I’ve returned to most of my jobs and hobbies.)

Some day in the future, my kitchen will once again be filled with the nostalgic aroma of spritz cookies fresh out of the oven. But this year, the only treats I plan to make are these high-protein pancakes to serve on Christmas morning.

Don’t let the healthier-sounding name of these pancakes fool you. They are downright delicious – soft and fluffy and not dry at all. The first time I made them last spring, they became an instant favorite. I don’t believe I’ll ever look for another pancake recipe again. This recipe is perfect: full of dairy goodness, gluten-free, and it uses lots of eggs. Plus, each pancake contains about four grams of protein.

On top of that, I love that I can make these with either Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. Both versions make delightful pancakes and allow me to use up whichever tub of yogurt or cottage cheese in the fridge needs to be finished off first.

I do intend to make these pancakes a little extra special for Christmas, but I haven’t yet decided exactly how. I might add a pinch of cardamom, cinnamon and ginger to give them a warmer, Chai-like flavor. Or I might pick up a carton of fresh raspberries and whip some heavy cream for topping them.

Either way, I know they’ll be delicious. Who knows? Maybe they’ll become a new Christmas tradition. The truly wonderful part, though, will be enjoying them together as a family. After all, it’s togetherness that makes the season magical.

High-Protein Pancakes

Makes 32 4-inch pancakes. This recipe easily halves, in case you aren’t feeding a family.

8 eggs

2 cups whole milk Greek yogurt

1/4 cup real maple syrup

1/4 cup melted butter

4 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups rolled oats

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs until light yellow. Whisk in yogurt, syrup, butter and vanilla.

Combine rolled oats, baking powder and salt in a small food processor or blender cup and grind until fine. Fold oat mixture into wet ingredients just until combined. Batter will be thick.

Preheat a griddle to 325 or a skillet to medium-low. Using a 1/4-cup measure, pour batter onto hot griddle and nudge into 4-inch circles with back of scoop. Cook until bubbles in pancakes start to pop and bottoms are golden brown.

Enjoy fresh off the griddle or keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.

In the event you have any left, store pancakes in fridge or freezer and reheat in toaster.

Cottage Cheese Version: Substitute whole milk cottage cheese for yogurt. Omit the salt. Combine all the wet ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Then transfer to bowl and fold in oat mixture.

Sadie Frericks and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minnesota. They have three children: Dan, Monika, and Daphne. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.