Breakfast with the Boys (Almond Pancakes)

James and I are always thrilled to hang with our nephews and, a few weekends ago, Ben and Dylan joined us in the early morning for a few hours of quality time. I wanted something relatively simple to make for breakfast; I hadn't had much coffee and both boys were full of excitement helping in the kitchen. I was smart and planned for pancakes. Keenly aware of the fact that both boys have a love of berries, I knew they'd have to play a part, as well.

A great start to the weekend

I settled on the idea of using almond flour as a featured ingredient. Almond flour is a low-carb solution made of finely ground, sweet almonds without skins, and adds moisture and a rich, sweet, nutty taste. You'll likely find it in your grocery's specialty/natural foods section.

Kid-friendly, uncle-approved

Ben proved to be extremely helpful in preparing the batter, and provided entertainment in the form of a barrage of curious questioning and a series of stories. Most of the latter were imaginary and told on-the-fly, making it even more fun. We laughed, we stirred, and then I got to work pouring batter and flipping away. The boys were thrilled to put raspberries on their fingertips, but luckily we got that out of the way before the final plates came.

Try these out next week and I promise you'll love the end result. Top them with whatever you prefer. Berries and fruit, whipped cream, maple syrup, peanut butter, honey, Nutella... the possibilities are endless!

You'll want to savor every single bite

Almond pancakes
Adapted from Good Old Fashioned Pancakes

A neat trick: If you don't happen to have buttermilk on hand for these pancakes, you can 'sour' milk by adding about a tablespoon of white vinegar into it prior to mixing it with your other ingredients. Like when you made a volcano in kindergarten, the acid reacts with the baking powder to help puff up the pancakes.

1 1/2 c almond flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
1 1/4 c buttermilk
1 tbs honey
3 tbs butter, melted

Me? Cute?

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, honey, and butter.

Use a spoon or whisk to make a hold in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet ingredients, mixing until the batter is smooth and incorporated.

Warm a frying pan over medium heat. Scoop the batter (I used a 1/4 c measuring spoon) onto the pan and brown on both sides. Makes about 8 pancakes.

Cheers!