Paleo Pancakes: Grain Free & Protein Packed

This morning's breakfast of fluffy Paleo Pancakes was a fun little endeavor and happily, I'm still full hours later.  The best part is, no carb crash!  Everybody loves pakcakes, but needing a nap after breakfast is never good when there's a whole day ahead of us.  The secret weapon?  Coconut flour (thanks, Mom!). 

Coconut flour is a great substitute for grain flours, providing much more protein and fiber. It also contains less carbohydrate than an equal amount of grain/wheat flour, but requires much less content in recipes than grain flour (note these pancakes use just 1/2 cup of flour), therefore drastically cutting carb content even more.  Coconut flour is great for those with grain or gluten sensitivities or those who lean toward a grain free diet, being recently popularized as "Paleo".  

Coconut flour acts differently than grain flour, so they can't be interchanged in recipes without lots of adjustments, but as with any baking recipe, stick to it and you'll be good!  The texture of these pancakes is different than that of a conventional pancake, and make sure you are using coconut flour that hasn't been exposed to moisture.  Have an open mind, and enjoy!  

PALEO PANCAKES
(makes about 8 small cakes)

4 eggs at room temperature
1 cup milk of choice (I prefer coconut milk)
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp. honey or pure maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional, but yummy!)
dash of cloves (optional)
dash of nutmeg (optional)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
fat of choice for skillet frying (I prefer coconut oil, butter, or olive oil) 

(If nuts or fruit are desired, either fold in 1/4 cup before frying or add to top when serving.)   

Method:
Pre-heat skillet (I prefer cast iron) to medium-low.  In small mixing bowl bowl, beat room temperature eggs for a couple minutes until very frothy (the secret to "fluffy").  Beat in milk, vanilla, and honey (or maple syrup) until combined.  In a separate, larger bowl, whisk or fork together flour, spices (if desired), baking soda, and salt.  Whisk egg mixture into dry flour mixture until combined and not lumpy.  Batter will be very thick, sort of like muffin or brownie batter, and not like regular cake or pancake batter.  Add fat to skillet, and add batter by less than 1/4 cup dollups to skillet.  Trust me, keep them small!  These do not hold like conventional pancakes, so keeping them small makes them easier to flip and helps them cook more uniformly.  Cook for a few minutes on each side, and be very careful when flipping.  When they're brown on both sides and spring back in the middle when tapped, they're done.  These are best topped with real, grass-fed butter (or coconut oil) and real maple syrup.  Chopped nuts, berries, or bananas would be great on top, too!   

Buon Appetito!       

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