Flapjacked Carrot Spice Protein Pancake Mix Review

I usually make my pancakes from scratch.  My boys favorite are my Pumpkin Pancakes with Hot Cider Sauce. We eat a lot of pancakes in this house, so I was thrilled to be picked as a winner of a protein pancake mix in a Facebook contest held by Flapjacked. I've tried their protein smoothie mix and found them to be delicious. I was excited to try another product.

I'm picky about the food I buy. I won't buy it if I find the ingredients list is full of artificial junk. There is nothing but good stuff on the ingredient list for Flapjacked Carrot Spice Protein Pancakes; whole oat flour, whey protein, pea protein, carrots, coconut flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, and monk fruit.

You can mix the pancakes a couple different ways, according to your taste and dietary requirements. Just adding water, the protein content is 20%. Substitute the water with milk and gain another 5% protein. Or, like I did, use milk and add an egg to the mix for a whopping 34% protein.

The consistency of this mix is perfect. I've tried another protein pancake brand and their mix is always a bit runny by the package directions. These pancakes fry up nice and fluffy. We topped them with cinnamon honey pecan cream cheese and a little real maple syrup. The flavors complimented each other nicely. Everyone in our household gobbled them up. It was almost like eating carrot cake for breakfast.

While I have yet to see Flapjacked pancake mix sold locally, you can get them on Amazon or directly from their website Flapjacked. In addition to their protein pancakes sold in different flavors and their smoothie mixes, they also sell cookie mix and mighty muffins.

With the ease of use, protein content, and quality of ingredients, I will be purchasing their products again. But on slow Sunday mornings, I'll still be making up a batch of my homemade pancakes.

Homemade Pancake Syrup and The Best Buttermilk Pancakes

We love pancakes around here. I'll even make them for dinner from time to time. In the fall, it's pumpkin pancakes. I've made zucchini pancakes, cinnamon pancakes, and our favorite banana pancakes, but this basic buttermilk pancake is a standard. Change 'em up by adding diced apples, blueberries, or chocolate chips. And, yes, serve up a stack for dinner.

Top off you pancakes with homemade syrup. This recipe was handed down to me by my parents. I believe it may have originally come from the book, The Tightwad Gazette, by Amy Dacyczyn. Dad still makes this syrup after over 20 years. While I'd prefer natural maple syrup, it's out of my budget and I have no interest in the high fructose corn syrup and artificial coloring/flavoring filled store bought syrups.syrups. Blech. It's easy to make up a batch of this syrup with leftovers so you don't have to make it every time you have pancakes, but it's so simple to make and if you get it mixed up and cooking on the stove while you cook up the pancakes, you'll have a nice, hot batch ready when your pancakes are done cooking.

Homemade Pancake Syrup

• 3 cups sugar (cane or brown both work. Brown sugar adds a deeper flavor)
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups water
• 3 Tbsp molasses
• 1 tsp natural vanilla

Mix all ingredients together in a medium pan. Bring to boil over medium high heat. Remove from heat and let set.

Best Buttermilk Pancakes

• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp melted butter
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Pour buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients and mix until lumps are gone. Heat butter or oil in a skillet. Drop 1/4 cup batter into skillet and cook until bubbly. Flip, cooking until brown on other side.

Serve hot with slabs of butter and homemade syrup. 

Pumpkin Pancakes with Hot Cider Sauce

I have been making these pancakes since 1993. When I did the math and realized that meant I had been making them for 19 years I felt kind of, well, old. I discovered the recipe in a Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Celebrations Magazine. Around here they are  known as pumcakes, as my oldest son affectionately named them. For an extra treat serve them with the hot cider sauce. You won't be disappointed.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 C. all purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 C milk

1/2 C canned pumpkin

2 slightly beaten egg yolks

2 tbsp canola oil or coconut oil

2 egg whites

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine milk, pumpkin, egg yolks, and oil. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and stir until just blended.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into pumpkin mixture.

Cook on hot lightly greased  skillet or griddle until bubbly. Turn and cook until lightly brown on both sides.

Hot Cider Sauce

3/4 C apple cider or apple juice

1/2 C packed brown sugar

1/2 C light corn syrup

2 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture is bubbly. Simmer about 20 minutes or until reduced to 1 cup. Let stand 30 minutes before serving to thicken.

Warm Cinnamon Pancakes

As you can tell by my overabundance of breakfast recipes, we love breakfast around here. Heck, sometimes we even eat pancakes or waffles for dinner. On lazy Saturday mornings like this one, sometimes we don't even get it on the table until nearly lunch time. We especially eat a lot of pancakes around here. None of us are particularly gluten intolerant, so I don't avoid wheat flours or other gluten products, but I think it is healthy to mix it up a bit and introduce other grains into our diet. This pancake is made from a mix of wheat and brown rice flour. Brown rice flour is a tasty, light flour that makes a good substitute in recipes where you want the results to be less dense. My little one gobbled up these pancakes, so if you are looking for yummy kid tested breakfasts this one fits the bill. These are especially yummy topped with apple butter instead of syrup. Or for a variation, try adding dice apple right into the batter.

Warm Cinnamon Pancakes

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour

2 tsp aluminum free baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

1 Tbsp coconut oil

1 Tbsp. honey

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl until mixed well. In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients. Mix well. Stir wet ingredients into flour mixture. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Heat lightly oiled griddle or frying pan (my favorite is my cast iron). Pour approximately 2 Tbsp. batter into griddle for each pancake. Cook until bubbly, then flip and cook other side until golden brown. Serve hot.