Easy, decadent and perfect for dessert, these Chocolate Granola Pancakes are a Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday), or any day, treat. Easily adapted for gluten-free and dairy-free.
I have lived in the UK for many years, adapting my palate to my adopted island’s produce and serious love of global cuisines – the latter about the only good thing coming from its colonial past. Other than the rich and complex curries, one of the first things I appreciated here were the thin, crepe-like pancakes. It took me ages to get my head around producing these light, foldable pancakes: Getting them on the plate without tears (in both senses of the word) was quite a feat for a klutz like me. It took me slightly longer to appreciate the whole lemon and white sugar thing. No maple syrup. No side of eggs and bacon (which now seems seriously weird to me).
But what I realised was that outside of the hullabaloo of Shrove Tuesday, pancakes were a relative rarity. And not really for breakfast. You saw them on dessert menus (and still do), origami-like and served with Nutella. But no one seemed to make them at home. I think that has changed now, but pancakes are still seen as an American thing. And as I am American I feel I can have some authority – however unearned – on the subject.
Our pancakes are just that, cakes made in pans. But mostly they come from a mix these days. When I first moved here I brought popular brand Bisquik, thinning the batter down to approximate a British pancake. I am happy to say that I no longer have a box of Bisquik, preferring to make my own mix that I change according to how we wish to eat them.
Mostly I make savoury pancakes, wholesome ones made with chickpea flour, or yellow pea flour (Hodmedods is great for the latter), topping with seasonal spiralised veg, and maybe an egg. But when going for sweet they are for dessert or a decadent brunch. And this one is no different.
It is decadent. It is dessert. It is damn delicious too.
I have used a combination of nourishing buckwheat flour and light spelt flour, adding a touch of cocoa powder and a spot of melted butter for richness (well, if you are going for it, go for it!). Once mixed up I add a scoop of homemade malted granola and dollop into a medium-hot oiled pan until risen and golden. Then the fun begins! Bananas, more granola and chocolate chips (the good stuff please) get layered into the stack – it has to be a stack – and doused in best maple syrup. Basically all of the calories. 🙂
Normal nutritious service will resume next week. Until then, enjoy the temporarily off-message Food To Glow!
Chocolate Granola Pancakes
Easy, decadent and perfect for breakfast, dessert or brunch, these Chocolate Granola Pancakes are a Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) – or any day – treat. Easily adapted for gluten-free and dairy-free.
100g buckwheat flour (or use 175g of plain/light spelt flour)
75g plain of light spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine salt
2 tbsp cocoa powder
300ml milk of any kind (I used unsweetened Ecomil almond milk)
2 eggs
2 tbsp melted butter (optional but it does make the batter better)
125g no-fruit granola (I use my malted granola, with 3 tbsp peanut butter added to the hot ingredients, but with no large nuts, just seeds)
Oil for your pan
Toppings: sliced banana, good quality chocolate chips (I like Callebaut and Ghiradelli), maple syrup, more granola
Method:
Dry whisk the dry ingredients in a large mixing jug. In another jug whisk the milk, egg and melted butter. Make a well in the flour mix and tip in the liquid mix. Mix until the flour just disappears, then fold in the granola.
Heat a scant amount of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, just a thin slick. Use an oiled piece of kitchen paper if you wish. Pour in enough batter to make two or three pancakes, according to the size of pan you have and the size of pancakes you wish to eat. Cook until bubbles dot the surface and the sides are starting to dry. Carefully flip, cooking until golden and cooked underneath. Care on with the remaining mix. Keep cooked pancakes warm in a low oven if you like.
Layer up the pancakes with the toppings/fillings and enjoy immediately. And you will!
Delicious and Decadent Pancakes from Fellow Food Bloggers
Vegan and Gluten-free Maple Pancakes – Nadia’s Healthy Kitchen
Semolina Pancakes with Maple and Nutmeg-roasted Plantain – Recipes From A Pantry
Fluffy Coconut and Quark American Pancakes – Supergolden Bakes
Cadbury Creme Egg Pancake – Foodie Quine
Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Pancakes – Fab Food 4 All
Vegan Chocolate Chip Scotch Pancakes – Tinned Tomatoes
Wholemeal Spelt Pancakes with Coffee Cardamom Chocolate Sauce – Tin and Thyme
8 Ways To Jazz Up Your Pancakes-French Style – Croque Maman
Chocolate Orange Pancakes – Thinly Spread
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Oh I do love chocolate chips in pancakes, so you’ve won me over with this full on-chocolate pancake recipe! I make nut butter banana griddle cakes and have to admit I enjoy them for breakfast. 😉 Thanks for the occasional off-message posts Kellie. They’re fun!
omg…I need to go home and make this right now. LOOKS SO YUMMY!
Wow these look amazing!
Oh what beautiful pancakes! You are correct, they look “damn delicious!”
Oh my god these look absolutely delicious!
These look utterly divine! I could just gobble these up now. I make pancakes for breakfast every morning…when my daughter was diagnosed with coeliac disease it was a way to fill her up (she was always hungry) and get some protein into her…otherwise she would devour 5 bowls of rice crispies! We never have pancakes therefore as a pudding…apart from on pancake day. So next week will be the exception and the kids will be allowed to put sweet treats on top!
These look so incredibly delicious. Wish I could race into my kitchen right now and make them!
Oh wow
yum, delicious idea
These look so delicious! 🙂
Yummmm!! Yes please!
Now I’m feeling hungry!
These pancakes look so delicious, I would love one just now…. yummmmmmhhh
Beautiful and delicious, love the added crunch of the granola here too Kellie:-)
The pancakes look so divine!
Yay! These look gorgeous and I reckon I may have an all day pancake day next Tuesday starting with these for breakfast!
I have just started exploring cooking with buckwheat flour so excited to find your recipe combining it with one of my favourite ever eats aka pancakes.
What fun idea to add granola. Crunchy pancakes are a new concept to me, but I like it.
I’ve always made them, but you are right we have a flurry on the run up to Shrove Tuesday then it slows down and we forget. I think to be honest we eat so many on the run up to Pancake Day we scunner ourselves and don’t want them again for a while. Your pancakes look wonderful. Thanks for sharing mine too.
We have lots of pancakes in our house – my husband being Canadian they are of the fluffy ‘American’ style rather than crepes. Although we love both! These look so delicious and I bet the granola adds a lovely texture.
Wow these look perfect Kellie! Love them. I am guilty of only usually making pancakes for pancake day, but I think they should become a weekend treat with loads of berries. Will give these a try!
Your pancakes look superb and so tempting. Scots would certainly not be serving pancakes at breakfast, far too decadent for John Knox’s bairns. However, pancakes were the first thing I ever baked/cooked, my Dad’s mum was not much of a baker but she made great pancakes and I would stand on a stool at the cooker pouring the batter onto the girdle. I’m pretty sure that American Pancakes travelled over the ocean from Scotland and morphed into breakfast with all the toppings in the land of plenty. My mother and mother-in-law both still make pancakes, I really only like them when they are homemade and still slightly warm, served with butter melting onto warm pancake 🙂
Everyone needs a cheat day, amiright? Love that the granola is actually in the batter! – Kat
Looks yummy 🙂
Looks really good. I will take that go 😀
This recipe looks amazing, definitely need to try this!!
Beautiful stack! I am such a sucker for adding some crunch and crispiness–aka granola–on top of all of my breakfast food, including pancakes! Being a chocolate addict myself, I TOTALLY approve.
I need to make them again soon! I had porridge this morning when I really should have been making some chocolate granola again and amping my breakfast game 🙂
These pancakes look amazing!
Oh my gosh wow! And your photography is amazing!