Lavender Pancakes

A couple weeks ago one of the volunteer’s at my CSA insisted that we go pick some fresh lavender and experiment with it. It smelled so beautiful and you can’t beat the freshness of picking the flower’s yourself so I said, why not. Since then I’ve been putting lavender in everything you can imagine from pancakes and muffins to cookies and cupcakes. These lavender cupcakes have become my new breakfast and brunch favorites. I usually do a double or even triple batch and freeze them in pairs so there’s always some on hand. I’ve noticed fresh lavender in the fresh herbs section of some Whole Food’s and Farmer’s Market’s as well. If you come across a bunch, I highly recommend you try these pancakes.

Lavender Pancakes
Makes 12 Pancakes

1 ¼ cup unbleached all purpose flour
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lavender flowers
¼ teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup soy yogurt or vegan sour cream
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup plain almond or rice milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup canola oil

Warm a large griddle over medium heat and grease with canola oil or canola oil spray.

Combine flour, sugar, lavender, salt, and baking powder together in a medium bowl. With an electric mixer, or a strong arm, beat in yogurt or sour cream, applesauce, milk, vanilla and canola oil until batter is smooth and there are no lumps.

Ladle pancake batter onto the griddle, the batter will spread quite a bit so start out in small batches to test for your desired size. When bubbles start to appear on the pancake surface check to see if they are golden brown in color on the other side. If they are, flip and cook until both sides are golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from the griddle and serve with maple syrup.