Lavender Buttermilk Pancakes w/ Raspberry-Mascarpone Topping

It's always fun to start a weekend morning with something a little special for breakfast. My usual weekday breakfast consists of my homemade granola, homemade yogurt, and fresh fruit. I do consider that to be pretty special but it's fun to mix it up every so often when time allows.

Since I visited a lavender and bee farm this past week (photo above is from the farm) and came home with some fresh lavender blossoms and fragrant lavender honey, I thought it would be a good way to incorporate all the special treats I picked up. I was also fortunate enough to be given some amazing eggs from my friend's adorable backyard chickens which found their way into a frittata earlier this week and I had exactly enough left for these pancakes. Lucky me!

I had no fresh fruit to speak in the house of and I'm not a huge fan of syrup on my pancakes so I made a topping of raspberry jam and mascarpone with a little of the lavender honey. It was lovely and I think this might become my new 'go to' pancake topping. Of course, pancakes are a great excuse for copious quantities of good melted butter on top and you know how I like butter. I just feel all that maple syrup gets in the way of my butter tasting abilities which is just not okay by me.

I hope you'll make these this weekend! Easy, yummy, fast, special.... what's not to love?!

Enjoy!

Lavender Buttermilk Pancakes:

Yields approx 16, 4" diameter pancakes

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup quinoa flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 TB baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp chopped lavender blossoms

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

4 TB melted butter, plus more for griddle

1) In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flours through lavender blossoms). Add the wet ingredients (buttermilk through melted butter) and whisk to combine all. If you have the time, let sit at room temperature for a few minutes while you mix the topping.

2) Heat a griddle to medium high. Brush with a bit more melted butter. Spoon the pancake batter onto the hot griddle and cook until little bubbles appear all over the surface of the pancake and the edges appear set. Flip over and repeat on the opposite side.

3) Transfer to serving plates, drizzle over a bit more melted butter, top with the rapsberry-mascarpone mixture and enjoy!

For the Raspberry- Mascarpone Topping:

Yields about 1/3 cup

4 oz mascarpone cheese, softened

2 TB raspberry jam ( I like Bonne Maman)

2 tsp lavender honey (or any other flavor you have on hand)

1 tsp fresh lemon zest

1) Heat the mascarpone & the jam together in the microwave until both are just soft enough to stir together, about 10 seconds. Whisk them together, removing any lumps in the cheese. Drizzle in the honey and lemon zest and stir to combine.