It’s my birthday week and I wanted to start it off with a bang! I used to ask for chocolate covered strawberries instead of birthday cake because I love them so much, so why not make a pancake version?! Yum! Sliced strawberries get soft and caramelized when they’re cooking on the griddle and the chocolate melts to make a decadently delicious pancake. These were so fluffy and I added fresh strawberries and syrup to my pile. I used applesauce instead of oil so they’re an oil free variety, but that didn’t hinder how fluffy and soft they were. They’re the perfect way to start a slow Sunday morning!

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes

1 cup almond milk unsweetened

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp apple sauce unsweetened

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp sugar

Dash of salt

1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced

1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips, I like the Trader Joe’s semi sweet

Maple syrup for topping

Vegan butter for cooking

1. In your measuring cup, add the almond milk and vinegar and let it sit for a few minutes to make a mock buttermilk.

2. In a larger bowl, add dry ingredients and stir to combine then add the apple sauce, vanilla, and almond milk mixture.

3. Stir to combine, but don’t over mix or they won’t be as tender

4. Heat a griddle to 350* and I used Earthbalance vegan butter to grease the griddle. I didn’t use much because I don’t love using oil, but it makes them not stick.

5. Use a 1/4 c measuring cup to ladle the batter on the griddle and while they’re cooking, add a few slices of strawberries and a few chocolate chips to each pancake.

6. When they’re bubbling through and seemed cooked on one side, carefully flip and cook another few minutes until cooked through and the strawberries will look a little caramelized.

7. Serve with fresh strawberries and maple syrup.