The Prettiest Pink Pancakes

There's nothing that makes me happier than the first few days of Spring, when the sun is shining and the kids can (finally!) play outdoors without the need to bundle them up into one thousand layers. It's a freedom and joy only a mother can appreciate after winter months: being crammed up indoors with sick kids and/or hearing endless complaints from healthy kids about itchy hats and gloves that won’t stay put.

This weekend truly felt like Spring was here to stay, and to celebrate, I made these cheery hot pink pancakes. These pancakes get their rosy hue from dragonfruit, also known as pitaya (you’ve probably seen pitaya bowls at your local juice bar). Pitaya has a neutral flavor, so while it doesn’t affect the taste, it certainly gives these pancakes quite a brilliant look if I do say so myself. I’m totally keeping this recipe on the back burner for next valentine’s day!The fruit also gives pancakes a nice dose of vitamin C and fiber.

These Pitaya packs caught my eye in the frozen fruit aisle of the grocery store last week. Once defrosted, they can easily be stirred into pancake or muffin mix, and the frozen packs make a fun addition to smoothies.

And although the name is a mouthful ("pitaya"), these pancakes are as easy to make as regular ones. They came together in 5 minutes! All it took was one packet of dragonfruit and boy did these pancakes turn PINK! They were so much fun to eat, and the boys loved them for the name and the color (boys like pink, too!).

Pancakes are one of my favorite finger foods for babies too, since they're nice and soft. My 1-year-old ate these right up!

Pink Pitaya Pancakes

makes 15-18 pancakes

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour (you can sub all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour)

1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 packet of frozen pitaya, defrosted

1 3/4 cups coconut milk (you can substitute regular milk, buttermilk, or almond milk)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking pancakes

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together pitaya, milk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes.

Melt butter on large griddle over medium heat. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter per pancake on the surface and cook until bubbles start to form on the pancake; flip and cook until cooked through. Serve drizzled with peanut butter, almond butter, or pure maple syrup.