Once in a blue moon…. you get an unexplained inkling to work on a sweet little recipe that “may just work” and go on to surprise even the most skeptical of palates. While the blog has plenty of gluten-free pancake options; insert these Gluten-Free Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes & Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Pancakes – both recipes involve either a gluten-free flour mix or homemade DIY oat flour which essentially comes together by simply pulverizing large-flake (certified GF) oats in your blender. Easy peasy enough, right?

But, I paused for a second and thought; hey- I don’t quite have a grain-free, paleo-ish option out there. Not really, unless you count some banana, coconut flour and egg pancakes I attempted way back when the blog first started in 2015. But hey; a lot has changed since then and I’ve learned a thing or two (or maybe five!) about cooking and baking with paleo flours:

1. Paleo flours are moody. There, I said it. Temperamental, to be politically correct. More temperamental than meringue or egg whites rising. Oh yes.
2. Coconut flour tastes like, well….. coconut; and not everyone may enjoy it. There’s only so many coconutty-tasting things a human can have. Almond flour tastes pretty neutral and can pass for pretty much, anything!
3. Almond flour is expensive. Yes. Probably the priciest paleo flour out there. Your best bet to save some money: buy it from your local bulk food market where they’ll sell it by weight and call it “almond meal”. The best one for this recipe is the fine ground variety.
4. When you read “blanched almond meal” it simply means the almond skins have been removed and so the almond flour is lighter as opposed to brown-ish in color. Just know that blanched doesn’t mean the flour itself has been bleached, as often happens with standard flour.
5. To get the best mileage or bang for your buck out of your almond meal, always keep it refrigerated. Trust me on this one! 😉

And also, a lot of effort was put into getting gluten-free pancakes right because we have a deep-rooted “Pancake Saturday” tradition at our house. Yep, we take pancakes pretty seriously around here. 🙂 They get served up with crispy baked bacon, fresh berries, dark maple syrup and fresh coffee and/or real hot chocolate. It’s the best way to kick the weekend into high-gear!

Also, I am a firm believer that kids don’t remember what you get them as much as what you give them. When it’s all said and done; I hope these munchkins wake up on Saturdays and that, wherever life may take them- they think of morning pancakes and their mama. Memories made of a messy kitchen, sticky hands, the smell of bacon, and thick hot chocolate are the best kinda gifts- in my humble opinion.

Also, do not try subbing coconut flour or buckwheat in this recipe! These measurements are ONLY designed to work with almond flour. And please DO TRY the trick of adding melted coconut oil to your pancake batter! It fluffs the batter up and since I find almond flour pancakes cook quickly, have a tendency to burn and/or stick to the pan: this little tip is a godsend! Just make sure to flip these quickly, they don’t wait!