Chocolate Chip Cashew Pancakes

Goodbye weekend [and sunshine], you will be missed.

We had stellar weather yesterday–perfect for watching the Portland Timbers take on [and beat!] FC Dallas yesterday. If you didn’t know, I’m pretty much an overnight soccer fanatic ever since the World Cup. I hadn’t watched a single game until then, and now I’m hooked. Between the MLS, Serie A, Eredivisie, and the odd International friendly, I’m set. Thank god for ESPN3. They’re getting better at playing games.

And now that the weather has turned back into the grey, rainy Portland that we all know and loathe love. Someone was talking snow earlier. I promptly blocked them out. I don’t like the s-word. If I wanted the s-word, I’d live in a climate where it happens a lot or I’d drive up to Mt. Hood.  Regardless, it’s perfect pancake weather…[hello segway!]

These are not your light, fluffy, airy pancakes. These are nutty, stick to your ribs, cake-y pancakes, and I love them. I’ve already made them several times. They’re a great blank canvas to make how you wish. The first time I dropped in chocolate chips and cashews. The next time I added sliced bananas with the chocolate chips and slathered them with almond butter. Whipped cream may or may not have been involved. I’m definitely in the beginner stage of enhancing my pancake flipping skillz. The ones above were made in a cast iron skillet, which I like but it’s much more testy as far as making sure it won’t stick. I’m kind of a sucker for the nonstick. The key is to wait to flip until they start to bubble in the middle and get dry on the edges. A few times I’ve waited too long. A few times I jumped the gun. It’s an art, and I’m not very artistic.  I guess I’ll have to keep practicing…darn.

Inspiration: With a Side of Sneakers

Ingredients

• 1 cup Spelt flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup soy milk
• 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon honey
• chocolate chips [about half a handful for me]
• cashews [another half a handful]

Preparation

1. Pulse the chocolate chips and cashews in a Magic Bullet [or food processor] until coarse and chunky. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to the lowest setting possible. Place a pan in it. This is where you’ll keep finished pancakes warm.
3. In a bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
4. Add the wet ingredients and mix until nice and incorporated. It will be thick.
5. Fold in the chocolate cashew mixture.
6. Grease a skillet and heat on medium heat.
7. Pour 1/3 cup of the batter to the skillet.
8. Allow to heat until the edges start to dry out and the middle starts to bubble.
9. Flip.
10. Cook another couple of minutes [here is where I test it with a spatula on the ease of removal].
11. Add the finished pancake to the pan in the oven.
12. Repeat with the remaining batter.
13. Top with whatever you please.

Now I want chocolate covered espresso beans. They’d be so good and crunchy in the batter!