Dark Chocolate Almond Pancakes

This weekend I was in the mood for something a little more decadent. Well to be honest, I was in the mood for some chocolate cake. But since I don't have an oven in my german apartment, and since it was so hot outside that I probably wouldn't want to turn it on even if I did, my thoughts naturally turned to pancakes.

Come to think of it, when do my thoughts not turn to pancakes?

I may have a problem.

But, Sunday morning, my only problem was that I could not cram these beauties into my face quickly enough. These pancakes are definitely rich, so I decided to make them small and slightly crispy. I then layered them with ripe bananas, topped them with some raw cacao nibs, and drizzled them with a maple almond coffee sauce.




I think it's safe to say that my craving for chocolate cake won't return for at least a couple days.


Dark Chocolate Almond Pancakes

Makes 1 giant serving (and maybe some leftovers for an afternoon chocolate craving)

1/3 cup whole grain spelt flour
4 tsp cacao powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp sea salt

3/4 cup soy milk or almond milk
1 tbsp natural almond butter
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/8 tsp almond extract)

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl and mix well to remove any lumps in the cacao powder.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine wet ingredients and whisk until almond butter is well incorporated. Add dry ingredients and whisk well.  Let the batter sit for at least 10 minutes.

While the batter sits, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, pour batter into 3" pancakes (the batter will be fairly thin, so small pancakes work well).

Layer pancakes with slices of ripe banana, sprinkle with raw a cacao nibs, and top with warm maple almond coffee sauce (recipe below). Serve immediately.

Maple Almond Coffee Sauce

1 tbsp natural almond butter
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1-3 tbsp strong coffee or espresso

Combine almond butter and maple syrup and mix until smooth. Add coffee, a tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved. The amount needed will really depend on the consistency of your almond butter, and on how thick you would like the sauce to be. Serve warm over pancakes, crepes, or fresh fruit.

PS - Sorry for the very strange background, my chocolate craving fully overrode my ability to think clearly when taking these pictures. Can you tell what it is?

Or should I say, where it is?