Fluffy low carb pancakes

These are really filling and satisfying, and only require a couple of extra easy steps compared to a regular pancake batter, ie you simply need to separate the eggs and whisk the egg whites.

That’s the secret to their pleasing fluffiness and texture.

There are all sorts of things you can use to make low carb pancakes, such as coconut flour (expensive), ground flaxseed (high in nutrition, but they do have a particular taste), oat fibre (this is a new one for me, having been introduced to the Trim Healthy Mama way of eating – it’s not at all the same as oat flour), and of course, ground almonds, which is what these pancakes use. Ground almonds are easy to pick up in the supermarket, and very cheap if you shop at places like Aldi and Lidl. They contribute a great texture, without an overpowering flavour.

This recipe comes from Karen Barnaby’s book The Low-Carb Gourmet, which has some great ideas for healthy, low carb eating. Barnaby is a chef from the US who managed to shed over 5 stone in weight by adopting a low carb lifestyle. She calls them Almond Puff Pancakes in the cookbook, and I’ve just slightly modified the proportions.

I’m really a savoury breakfast person at heart – for instance, today’s breakfast consisted of a fried egg, slice of bacon on a bed of balsamic sprouts (last night’s leftover veg) which was really filling and delicious.

However, these pancakes make a nice change, and you don’t have to turn them into a sweet meal. You could make them into smaller rounds, add slightly more salt, and use them as blinis served with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Now there’s a thought….

Fluffy low carb pancakes – six servings

2 large free range (or three medium) eggs
60g ground almonds (just over 2 ounces)
60ml double (heavy) cream (just over 2 ounces)
Dash of vanilla extract
½ tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt (bit more of a pinch if making savoury pancakes)
1 tsp xylitol (or carb-free sweetener of your choice). Leave out for savoury pancakes
Oil or butter for frying

Method

Separate eggs from whites and put each in a different bowl. Add the cream and vanilla to the yolks and mix well, before folding in the ground almonds, baking powder, salt and sweetener.

In the other bowl, beat the egg whites (obviously a lot quicker to use an electric hand whisk if you have one) until they start to form soft peaks. Add the beaten whites one large spoonful at a time, gently folding into the egg mixture until well combined.

I used a quarter-cup measuring cup to scoop up the mixture and drop it into a well heated, oiled pan so it formed a round. Once the underside starts to brown, flip it over (you will see the pancake ‘fluff up’ nicely after you flip) and cooked for another minute or so.

This batch makes six satisfying pancakes. Serve with sweet lemon butter, cream cheese or a topping of your choice.

I currently have an experimental jar of chia seed jam sitting in my fridge, and if it’s deemed a success, I’ll be posting the recipe shortly!

I’ve shared this post on the Trim Healthy Tuesday link up on the Gwen’s Nest blog (you’ll find Gwen’s blog a great source of information about the Trim Healthy Mama plan).