These gingerbread pancakes will make any morning feel like a holiday

This recipe reminds me of those vintage Looney Toons cartoons where the aroma of something cooking lifts Bugs Bunny off his feet and into midair. He b...

This recipe reminds me of those vintage Looney Toons cartoons where the aroma of something cooking lifts Bugs Bunny off his feet and into midair. He blissfully floats along, surrendering to the fragrant current, until he reaches its source and devours the dish.

Similarly, the wafting scent of cinnamon, ginger and cloves when these pancakes are cooking lures everyone into the kitchen in the same intoxicating way, setting the cozy, relaxed mood that makes holiday mornings so treasured and sparking anticipation of the deliciousness to come.

These pancakes aren’t just enticing - with their gingerbread essence and decadent date sauce - they are nutritious too, made with a mix of whole grain and almond flours, protein-rich milk and eggs and no refined sugar.

Instead, the pancakes are lightly sweetened with molasses, which imparts a quintessential gingerbread depth of flavor, as well as minerals, such as iron, calcium and magnesium.

But it’s the date sauce decadently dolloped on top that makes the pancakes stand out as a real treat. A puree of dates, milk and a touch of salt delivers a sweet, fruity flavor that’s reminiscent of caramel, along with the dried fruit’s fiber and essential minerals. (The sauce can be made in advance, and is also delicious dolloped over ice cream or as a dip for apple slices.)