Almond Joy Pancakes

People really enjoy or strongly dislike raisins and coconut in baked goods.   People are rarely indifferent 

I like coconut, raisins, and nuts in all my baked goods.  I have always enjoyed Almond Joys too.  The sweet coconut filling is satisfying enough, but the almonds and chocolate make them extra special.

Coconut can refer to the entire palm tree, the seed, or the fruit.  Like almonds, the fruit is not a nut.  It is a drupe.  The word coconut comes from the Portuguese and Spanish word coco, which means head or skull.

Immature coconuts have lots of water.  Endosperm is suspended in the water.  As the coconuts mature, the endosperm deposits on the walls of the coconut becoming the coconut flesh.  

The plant can grow up to 98 feet tall.  The leaves can be as long as 20 feet.  People are not sure where coconuts originally came from.  Some people believe they came from the Americas.  

I have made this chocolate pancake recipe many times.  I added coconut, almond extract, chocolate chips, chopped almonds, and chocolate chips to the original recipe.

The ingredients are 1 cup milk, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 teaspoon almond extract, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup dried coconut flakes, 1/3 cup finely chopped almonds, and 1/3 cup chocolate chips.

I added the melted butter, milk, egg, and almond extract into a bowl.  I whisked these ingredients together.

I added the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and dried coconut into another bowl

I added the chopped almonds and chocolate chips to the dry ingredients.  I whisked the dry ingredients together.

I poured the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisked until combined.

For each pancake, I added a fourth to a third of a cup of batter onto a greased and hot skillet.  I flipped the pancakes when bubbled formed in the center and the edges looked dry.  I cooked the other side of the pancakes for a few minutes.

I ate these pancakes with greek yogurt.

This pancake recipe is stellar.  The chocolate is rich and pronounced.  The batter is sweet but not cloyingly sweet.  The texture of the pancakes are tender.  The pancakes are thick and hearty.

The coconut added chewy texture and sweetness.  The coconut extract and flaked coconut added layers of scrumptious coconut flavor.

The almonds were crisp and nutty.  

These were toothsome, desirable, and satisfying pancakes.  I wouldn't change anything about them.