Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Chunk Sour Cream Pancakes

Every time we clean the fridge out, throwing away the various science experiments that have gathered in the back corners, I swear I’m not going to let it get that bad again. And inevitably, it does anyway. It’s always the miscellaneous odds and ends, little bits of this and that leftover from various cooking and baking projects that I stick in the fridge vowing to use up, but never do.

It had gotten pretty bad again recently, and I meant to deal with it before I went to housesit for Shane’s parents, but ran out of time. While I was gone, Shane surprised me by cleaning everything out, and then also washing the shelves and drawers!! It was pretty much the best gift he could ever have given me! It’s been so nice to open the fridge and have it looking brand new in the weeks I’ve been back 🙂

I felt guilty that the freezer was still a disaster, so I was inspired to tackle that next. I freeze so many of the things I bake, plus I go crazy buying meat when it’s on sale; needless to say, it can get pretty hectic in there. But now it’s all organized, with lots of room for new additions. And the first thing I wanted to stock up on? Well, pancakes of course!

You guys already know I’m completely obsessed with pancakes, and I was long overdue to add another recipe to the site. Aside from the whole grain pancake mix I shared recently, it’s been over a year since the last pancakes recipe – entirely too long!

But these sour cream pancakes are so darn good, all will be forgiven. They’re super thick and fluffy, with both toasted coconut and chocolate chunks incorporated right into the batter. I also used coconut oil in the pancake batter to drive home the coconut flavor. Nearly every bite has a little bit of melty chocolate in it, I seriously couldn’t get enough. These pancakes are packed with so much goodness that I didn’t even bother dousing them with maple syrup, it just wasn’t necessary. In fact, I would be equally happy eating these for dessert as for breakfast, but I’ll leave that decision up to you 🙂 I’m just thrilled there’s a stack of them in my (clean!) freezer just waiting to be pulled out this weekend.

Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Chunk Sour Cream Pancakes
inspired by Smells Like Home, pancake recipe adapted from Gourmet, December 2010 (via Epicurious)

{Note: Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and toast in a 350 F oven for about 5-7 minutes, stirring once, until the coconut is golden brown. Don’t walk away, it can burn *very* quickly. Cool before using in the recipe.}

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream (light is fine)
1/2 cup whole milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1/2-3/4 cup chocolate chunks

{If you aren’t going to serve the pancakes until you’ve cooked all of them, preheat oven to 200 F. Spray a wire rack with cooking spray and set it inside a baking sheet then place the baking sheet in the oven.}

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together. In a second medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, egg, and coconut oil until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk just until barely combined – the batter might still have a few lumps, that’s fine. Gently stir in the toasted coconut and chocolate chunks just until evenly distributed. (I used 3/4 cup chocolate chunks the first time I made the recipe, but went with a bit less the next time – add as much or as little as you’d like.)

Set a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. When the pan is hot, use a 1/4 cup measure to portion the batter into the pan. Cook on the first side until the edges are set and bubbles form on the surface, about 3 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook for a few minutes on the second side, or until golden brown and cooked through. These pancakes are thick so you might need to lower the heat slightly to ensure they cook through before the outside gets too dark. {If not serving immediately, transfer the pancakes to the wire rack in the oven.} Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve garnished with additional toasted coconut, chocolate chunks, butter, maple syrup, or your favorite pancake toppers!

Makes 8-9 4-inch pancakes