Alicia writes Jaybird; she’s an AmeriCorps volunteer who loves to eat but can’t afford to try every new restaurant and type of cuisine. Instead of spending all her hard-earned cash paying other people to cook for her, she spends it as frugally as possible making delicious meals at home. Be friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!
Every Sunday when I was a kid, my parents would cook a big Sunday breakfast. Our table was piled high with fluffy buttermilk pancakes, crisp strips of bacon, and scrambled eggs. Maybe because I have such wonderful memories of these breakfasts, I can never think of a weekend morning without thinking of pancakes. Pancakes are the perfect breakfast to enjoy on a lazy morning when you want to think of nothing but sunshine and relaxation.
After going Paleo (grain-, dairy-, legume- and refined-sugar free), it took me weeks to create a pancake recipe that didn’t burn too quickly, never cook through the middle, or taste like pure almond meal in my mouth. These delicious pancakes are my labor of love through endless tastings. I added the one thing that makes pancakes even better for a chocolate lover like me: a surprise dollop of cocoa goodness in the middle of each golden cake. I hope you enjoy every last bite.
Cocoa Surprise Almond Flour Pancakes – Serves 3-4 (or 2 hungry adults, ahem)
Prep time: 8 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes (in 3 batches)
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons cream or whole milk
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon honey
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Kerrygold butter or coconut oil for cooking
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat with a small amount of butter or coconut oil. In a large bowl, whisk eggs with all wet ingredients. Add all dry ingredients except cocoa powder and stir until evenly combined. Remove 1/2 cup of the batter to a smaller bowl and mix in cocoa powder.
When skillet is warm, pour plain batter by the scant 1/4 cup to form pancakes. Immediately take a large dollop of chocolate batter and add to the center of the pancake, lightly pressing down until the pancake is a uniform thickness. An easy way to check if your pancakes are ready to flip is to pop one of the small bubbles that rises to the surface of the cake. If it immediately fills itself back in, the pancakes are not ready. If there is a tiny hole where you popped the bubble, flip away. Cook until both sides are golden brown, then remove to a plate and repeat until you have used up all the batter.
Serve with maple syrup or honey (or coconut whipped cream and sliced strawberries if you want to get really decadent). Savor and imagine you have nothing to do for the rest of the weekend.
Enjoy!
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