In another life I might have made a great private investigator — my Google searching and social media sleuthing are sharp. I’m not sure those are qualities to boast about, but they’ve served me well.
These research skills have helped my food blog more than you might expect. Running a successful food blog means knowing what recipes people actually search for. My personal cravings drive the content, but if a recipe has virtually no interest (blueberry-and-bacon-encrusted chickpeas, anyone?), it’s probably not a smart post to publish.
Being able to navigate Google and its tools has played a surprising role in the growth of THM.
One of my favorite Google tools is Google Trends. I don’t claim to be a trendsetter — I happily follow trends. I enjoy researching rising interests and can spend hours comparing search patterns, from fashion color-blocking to chia seeds to kale.
Over the holidays, when I found myself with extra time, I dove into Google Trends and discovered some entertaining facts. Interest in hamsters has grown significantly over the last decade, someone still searched for “MySpace,” and paleo is undeniably trending.
I knew paleo had been increasing in popularity, but Google Trends put the scale into perspective. Searches for vegan, gluten-free and many other diets can’t match paleo’s recent momentum.
Fortunately for me, I enjoy paleo-style recipes. I don’t strictly follow the paleo diet (you can read about my experience elsewhere), but I’m open to it. If I eliminated grains, legumes, white potatoes and the small amount of dairy I sometimes eat, I might technically be paleo. Jokes aside, if I could live on these Paleo Mexican Hot Chocolate Pancakes with Salted Dulce de Leche, I’d adopt the diet in a heartbeat.
These pancakes are fluffy like traditional pancakes and come topped with a surprisingly dairy-free salted dulce de leche. If these don’t catch on, I might just give up blogging and become a private investigator full-time — self-proclaimed kitchen destroyer, food photographer, and writer extraordinaire included.
Paleo Mexican Hot Chocolate Pancakes with Salted Dulce de Leche
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5 from 1 review
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 pancakes 1x
Ingredients
Scale
For the pancakes:
- 1 cup almond meal
- 3 T coconut flour
- 3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (more for spicier)
- 2 tsp paleo-friendly baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 T maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- coconut oil for pan
For the salted dulce de leche:
- 1/2 cup dates (soaked in hot water for at least 1 hour)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp melted coconut oil
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
For the pancakes:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond meal, coconut flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cayenne, baking powder and sea salt.
- In a separate bowl, combine the almond milk, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla extract.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until smooth. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes to allow the coconut flour to absorb the liquid.
- Heat a large skillet or pancake griddle over medium and melt about 1 tsp coconut oil.
- Pour about 1/3 cup batter per pancake and cook 3 minutes, until bubbles form and the edges look set.
- Flip and cook 1–2 more minutes until cooked through.
- Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil as needed.*
For the salted dulce de leche:
- Drain the soaked dates and place them in a food processor or blender.
- Add the almond milk, vanilla, melted coconut oil and sea salt. Blend on high until smooth, adding more almond milk to reach your desired consistency.
Notes
*If the batter becomes too thick (coconut flours vary in absorbency), add almond milk by the tablespoon until the batter reaches a thick but pourable consistency.
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Anyone else a Google Trends stalker? How are your private-investigating skills?