Cooking Done Light

These delightful mini pancakes are sure to make everyone in your family smile. They are a fun, low calorie, low fat breakfast that you can have any day of the week. The cream topping is out of this world – try it on top of various baked goods and sweets (like low fat brownies and muffins), use it as an easy dip for fresh fruit, and even sandwich a little dollop between two of your favorite low fat cookies for a yummy cookie-sandwich treat!

You can use any fruit that you would like for these pancakes (or even use a combination), and of course, if you are pressed for time, you can simply make regular sized pancakes with the batter. But for a fun and different twist, the mini-version makes a delicious breakfast novelty (especially for kids).

2 tablespoons fat free half-and-half

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 to 1/3 cup water

Fresh fruit (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, peaches, etc – whatever you would like)

Mix the half-and-half, mascarpone, almond extract and brown sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine the whole wheat flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, blend together the eggs, vanilla and 1/4 cup water until smooth. Whisk the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, adding additional water 1 teaspoon at a time as needed, to make a thick batter.

Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat and, once hot, pour the batter into small pancakes, about 2 tablespoons batter per pancake. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until browned and puffy (about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick). Flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat this process until you have 24 small pancakes (keep finished pancakes warm in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve).

Top each pancake with a teaspoon of the mascarpone mixture (or stack 6 pancakes on each plate and add a large dollop of topping to entire stack). Garnish with as much fresh fruit as you would like.

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Makes 4 servings. Per serving (6 small pancakes per person): 214 calories (figured to include a small serving of fruit per person), 4 g total fat, less than 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 24 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 4 g added sugar, 10g protein, 71 mg sodium, 63 mg cholesterol