Gluten-Free Cacao Pancakes With Almond Flour

I have started watching what goes into my food, so I've begun making my food from scratch.

Discover the Wonders of Raw Cacao Powder

First things first: cacao powder and cocoa powder are not the same thing.

Raw cacao powder is a product of unroasted fermented cacao beans, whereas cocoa powder is processed with dairy and sugar ingredients.

Raw cacao powder has many health benefits. I've included a video, below, that talks about some of these benefits.

I've been trying to eat healthier, and I usually use gluten-free flour when I bake. In this recipe I used almond flour and brown rice flour instead of the usual white all-purpose flour. Both are gluten free and can help lower the level of bad cholesterol. I have also included two videos at the end of this article about the benefits of almond flour and brown rice.

Let's get started!

Health Benefits of Raw Cacao Powder

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 2 tablespoons brown rice flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons cacao powder
• 2 tablespoons muscovado sugar (optional)
• 1/3 cup almond milk or plain water, plus more if needed
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed (optional)

What Is Vanilla Bean Paste?

Recently, I started using vanilla bean paste as a substitute for vanilla extract. Vanilla bean paste has a more intense vanilla flavor than its extract counterpart. This is because the vanilla bean paste has scraped vanilla pod seeds and vanilla extract combined. Hence, the more intense (and yummier) vanilla taste!

Instructions

1. Mix the almond flour, rice flour, cacao powder, sugar and baking powder together (and optional ground flaxseed). Set aside.
2. In another bowl, mix the egg, almond milk or water, coconut oil and vanilla paste.
3. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until combined. Do not overmix.
4. Heat a skillet.
5. Drop 1/4 cup of pancake batter onto the skillet. Cook until done.

Delicious Tips and Substitutes

• Instead of brown rice flour, you may use tapioca starch.
• For those who don't like the taste of coconut oil, I have tried avocado oil for this recipe and it worked well.
• For the delicious fruit toppings, I have tried the following fruits: strawberries, bananas, mangoes and papaya.
• Adding a sprinkle of coconut flakes elevates these pancakes to a whole new level of heavenly goodness!
• I have tried honey, maple and agave syrup with these pancakes.
• I have made these pancakes using plain water (omitting the almond milk) and I didn't notice any difference!
• To enjoy the health benefits of cacao powder, do not use cocoa powder (notice the difference in the spelling, cacao vs. cocoa). Watch the video below to learn all about the goodness of raw cacao.
• I normally make these pancakes without sugar, foreseeing that I will be putting syrup on my pancakes. This is to avoid too much sweetener in my pancakes. But you may add muscovado sugar if you want.

Why Use Almond Flour?

Health Benefits of Brown Rice