Almond Meal Pancakes

It’s gotten to be a Saturday morning ritual. The basic recipe produces five 5-inch pancakes that are about 1/2-inch thick – so one of these is probably all one wants! Use the rest for leftover snacks.

I started with a recipe from a site called “Gluten-free Homemaker,” but I now cannot find the link. Also, I used to use Trader Joe’s “Just Almond Meal,” but TJ’s no longer makes it; now I use almond flour, like the big bag of Kirkland brand that I get at COSTCO. So here’s my recipe:

Mix in a large bowl the dry ingredients:

   1 1/2 cups of almond flour
   1 teaspoon baking soda
   1 tablespoon sugar or sugar substitute
   1/4 teaspoon salt
   1 teaspoon cinnamon
   2 teaspoons cocoa powder (optional)
   1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (optional)

Mix in a small bowl:

   3 eggs, beaten
   1 teaspoon vanilla
   1/3 cup of water (plus a little extra if using the cocoa powder and chipotle)

Pour the liquid ingredients into the larger bowl, mix well, and let sit for at least 10 minutes.

Heat a large frying pan to medium heat. I cook the pancakes in coconut oil – about a tablespoon for the first three pancakes. When the oil has melted, drop down three well-spaced glops with a large spoon, and then smooth them out into pancakes with the back of the spoon. I often cut up a banana into 25 discs, and press down 5 of them into each pancake. After about a minute or two you should be able to put a spatula under the pancakes  and move them around on the melted oil. When your pancakes look pretty solid you can start flipping them over – takes a bit of practice. The other side takes less time to cook (if using bananas, see that they have browned a bit). Put the pancakes on a plate, put some more oil in the pan, and make the last two. You’ll find that this recipe makes about 5 pancakes 5″ in diameter.

They’re very filling – ENJOY!