I’ve made these pancakes a bunch of times, but I hadn’t found the right opportunity to blog about them until now.
Not only have I been trying (extra emphasis on that word trying) to go gluten free, but my best friend is trying out the Paleo diet with her husband. She is a supportive wife, that’s for sure. I know how much she likes her Nutella and milkshakes and pasta.
She brought up a simple question when we were on the phone the other day: “What am I going to eat for breakfast?”
That really got my brain going. I’m always thinking of creative food options to meet different needs. I instantly thought of eggs baked in an avocado, eggs fried in a pepper ring, and my usual breakfast, a spinach and egg scramble.
Then she said she wasn’t into eggs that much. Hmmmm.
A lightbulb clicked on above my head and I thought of my simple almond meal pancakes! Now, neither of us knew much about the Paleo diet, but we tried to guess based on quick research. If it’s okay to eat almonds, then it should be okay to have almond meal.
My pancake recipe calls for a tablespoon of maple syrup. We weren’t sure about that one… but they really don’t need the sweetener! It’s just a sweet, sweet bonus. So I replaced the tablespoon of maple syrup with a tablespoon of water.
And, oh my. That berry reduction and coconut cream.
To.
Die.
For.
This is definitely a Paleo dessert! It’s made with healthy whole foods with no added sugar and the protein content is high, but the almond meal and coconut cream have a lot of fat. It makes sense to limit your intake of nut products and full fat coconut milk. The berry reduction is also high in natural sugar. It’s pretty tasty though, so is that okay? Yes. Unless you are very strict about your diet, I say ok.
Don’t let the small pancakes fool you; this is a very filling meal. Remember, it’s almond meal, not flour. This serves two people.
I recommend making the berry reduction ahead of time and storing in the refrigerator for up to a few days. Reheat before serving or enjoy cold like jam. I used the coconut whipped cream tutorial from Oh She Glows. The almond meal pancakes are adapted from Laura Dolson’s recipe on about.com.
This post is dedicated to the wives who try to follow diets their husbands are following to support them (and vice versa)! Go you!
- 1 cup almond meal
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup sparkling water, plus 1 tablespoon*
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, plus more for cooking
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups frozen berries (I used organic raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries)
- 1/2 cup coconut whipped cream**
- Add berries to small saucepan over low heat. When berries begin to defrost, stir to speed up the process.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes or until berries are broken down and liquid is reduced, stirring occasionally.
- Whisk almond meal, eggs, 1/4 cup water plus 1 tablespoon of water, and sea salt until well combined. Add melted coconut oil and thoroughly mix.
- Preheat a non stick pan or griddle over medium low heat and add a little coconut oil for frying.
- Using a 1/4 cup, pour the batter onto the griddle for little pancakes. Use your cup to spread the batter if it's very thick. You want thin pancakes.
- Cook for about two minutes then flip. They will start to have very small bubbles when ready to be flipped, not big ones like typical flour pancakes. Once the other side is done, remove from griddle to a plate to keep warm.
- Stack them, add berry reduction, and top with coconut whipped cream. This has no added sugar? Your tastebuds won't believe it.
- *You can use regular tap water. I used sparkling to add bubbles and make the pancakes fluffier.
- If you are not averse to extra sugar, replace the tablespoon of sparkling water with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. It's not necessary for taste, but it does make them sweeter.
- **I followed the Coconut Whipped Cream Tutorial from Oh She Glows. I didn't add any sweetener or vanilla to the cream. You could also just scoop the chilled coconut cream out of the can and dollop it on your pancakes to soften on the hot berry reduction. It will taste the same but won't have the thick, whipped texture.
Did you try it? How did you like it? Leave me a comment!