Fem365: Fitness. Food. Femininity.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Sooooo… These pancakes are not a “health food.” They are grain free, but I’m not fooling myself into believing they are something that I should (or could) eat on a daily basis. But they were GOOD. We ate these rich, chocolaty lovelies this morning to honor our Valentine’s Day tradition: Every year we make chocolate-chocolate chip pancakes. They have always been gluten free and dairy free, but now they’re grain free as well. And better than ever when topped with amazingly decadent cocoa-nut butter.

We have been over indulging lately. Sugar has crept back into our lives, I’ve been taking in too much caffeine (I’m not opposed to coffee, but 4 cups a day is too much for me), and we’ve been drinking more wine and spirits than usual. It’s time to back off. For the next 10 days we’re going to get back to the basics. I won’t be posting about “treats” — no matter how “paleo” they are — for a couple of weeks. But first, I want to share this recipe and two more family favorites.

Read on for the pancakes we had this morning, and check back tomorrow for TWO MORE POSTS with recipes from our Valentine’s Day weekend… Two of my husband’s favorites: Dairy Free Chestnut Soup, and a fantastic Savory Grain Free Dutch Baby. YUM!

First, the pancakes. A happy way to start the day.

Grain Free Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Decadent Cocoa-Nut Butter

For Pancakes:

• 1 ½ cups almond flour
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut milk (full-fat, from a can… Stir it up well so it’s not too thick)
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 eggs
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• Coconut oil (or butter, or ghee, or bacon fat) for frying

For Nut Butter:

• 1/2 cup roasted almonds
• 1/4 cup macadamia nuts
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp agave
• 2 Tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions (Pancakes): Throw all ingredients EXCEPT CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND FAT FOR FRYING into a blender and blend until smooth. *Regarding the coconut milk: start with 1/4 cup coconut milk and add up to 1/2 coconut milk to reach desired consistency.* Let batter sit for 5-10 minutes to allow it to thicken slightly.

Place griddle or skillet over medium heat and melt coconut oil (or ghee, or butter, or bacon fat) for frying. When pan and fat is nice and hot, ladle on the batter. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips onto each pancake while they are cooking. We have found that this works better than stirring the chocolate chips into the batter. When you add them directly to the batter, they all sink to the bottom!

Flip pancakes when small bubbles form around the edges. Makes approximately 8 large-ish pancakes. We had leftovers (maybe).

Directions (Nut Butter):

Throw all ingredients into food processor. Whizz until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Top pancakes with nut butter and devour with coffee for a serious caffeine buzz!

My son, enjoying his HUGE pancake (special treat!)