Chocolate Coconut Flour Pancakes

Since I've been stalking people on instagram quite a bit, I found this interesting recipe for Chocolate Coconut Flour Pancakes.

I have a pack of coconut flour stashed away because I had a close friend who had to stay off gluten and I wanted to see if I could come up with breads / basic food that he could eat. That was some time back, and I didn't really succeed. Plus he wasn't open to the idea of changing his diet.

In any case, I've been looking for ways to reduce my intake of wheat, because over the past year or so, I noticed that it takes my body a lot more effort to digest wheat, if it's even able to do so.  I had originally read in the blood type diet that people of my blood type should steer away from wheat, but because I LOVED bread so much, I chose to ignore it.

About half a year back though, the osteopath I've been seeing for my back problems recommended that I stay off wheat because wheat causes "damp" and may be retarding my recovery process. So that, I did.

And boy, did I feel the difference! I didn't feel indigested all the time. ;) So yes.

Anyway I decided to test out this recipe because Casey had also written a rather detailed post about How to achieve the perfect pancake "Fluff Factor".

After reading a few of her posts, I felt ready to give it a go.

As much as I wanted to follow the recipe to the tee, I didn't because:

1. I have no clue where to purchase cacao powder, and
2. I didn't want to buy carton egg whites, even if I knew where to get them (which I actually don't) 

But her instructions on the How to achieve the perfect pancake "Fluff Factor" post really helped me to figure out the right proportions.

In particular, her first tip:  KEEP THE BATTER THICK. 

The amount of liquid should be a minimum, only until the batter reaches a thick and only SLIGHTLY pourable consistency so it would essentially hold it's own shape. Her key ratio: 1 egg + 1/2 cup liquid to 3 tbsp of coconut flour.  I didn't actually measure the amount of liquid since I used 2 eggs instead of 1 to replace the carton egg whites, but I eyeballed it and decided it was possibly enough and figured I could always add more water late. :D

I also stuck to her tip about using only 2 HEAPING TBSP of batter for each pancake.

The recipe turned out well, to my surprise since I changed the recipe around quite a bit.  Cyn felt that it was not bad, but it resembles a thin chocolate cake more than a pancake. (She loves fluffy pancakes that are light and have the ability to absorb the maple syrup). This turned out to be a little denser than normal pancakes, but still delicious!

I rarely post recipes because I usually just link to the original source and my modifications are usually small (like reducing the amount of sugar since I find most desserts are too sweet for my liking).

Today, though, I made quite a bit of changes to the ingredients list, so I thought it may be helpful to share the changes I made.


RECIPE
Chocolate Coconut Flour Pancakes
~ Adapted from Casey's Whole Kitchen

Serving Size: 1
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins (depends on how many pancakes your pan can cook at a time. I used a tiny pan that can only cook one each time)


Ingredients:

3 tbsp coconut flour (used Bob's Red Mill)
1 tbsp Hershey's cocoa powder (original was raw cacao powder)
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
1 tbsp coconut milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp honey (to taste. I would add more the next time as the pancakes were still a little bitter)

2 handfuls of chocolate chips for batter + 1 handful to sprinkle over (optional, can increase or reduce the amount according to your personal preference)


Instructions:

1. In a medium sized bowl, sift the coconut flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder together, then whisk to combine.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla extract and honey until combined.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and whisk until the flour absorbs the liquid and the batter is completely smooth. I figured I can't over-mix this batter since there's no gluten in coconut flour. So I went ahead and whisked till it was really smooth. 
4. Add in chocolate chips, if using, and mix thoroughly.
5. Let the batter sit for 3-5 minutes so the coconut flour can fully absorb the liquid.
6. Heat a pan over medium heat. Add a little olive oil (or any oil you usually cook with) so the pancakes won't stick to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium-low and pour a heaping 2 tbsp of the batter onto the center of the pan, using the back of a spoon to make them round, but DO NOT spread the batter out very thin. Each pancake should be 2-3 inches in diameter, at most. (I kind of gave up attempting to make the pancakes round cos the batter just stuck to the spoon.)
7. Casey's trick to fluffy pancakes: to NOT spread the batter out thin, but keep the pancakes small, thick, and cook "low and slow." Meaning, let each pancake cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes on one side, or until the bottom is fully cooked at the top begins to look "set."
8. Once the bottom is fully cooked (it should stop sticking to the pan and you'd be able to remove it easily), flip and cook on the other side for another minute or so.
9. Serve the pancakes! I sprinkled another handful of chocolate chips over the pancake stack, and they slightly melted due to the residual heat from the pancakes. Drizzled with maple syrup, these taste amazing! :)