You Will Devour These Coconut and Cinnamon Oat Bran Pancakes

The following post was originally featured on Running to the Kitchen and written by Gina Matsoukas, who is part of POPSUGAR Select Fitness.These cinnamon raisin oat bran pancakes have a combination of oat bran and buckwheat for a hearty texture with a touch of nutty toasted coconut. Top with your favorite fruit compote for a deliciously healthy start to your day. There’s this spot in the corner of our family room, right next to the sliding door that has the most magical light. It’s a cool, northern facing part of the house so even on a bright sunny day there’s…

The following post was originally featured on Running to the Kitchen and written by Gina Matsoukas, who is part of POPSUGAR Select Fitness.

These cinnamon raisin oat bran pancakes have a combination of oat bran and buckwheat for a hearty texture with a touch of nutty toasted coconut. Top with your favorite fruit compote for a deliciously healthy start to your day.

There’s this spot in the corner of our family room, right next to the sliding door that has the most magical light. It’s a cool, northern facing part of the house so even on a bright sunny day there’s never direct light. It’s diffused, faded and a photographer’s dream for pretty much the entire day. It also happens to be no where close to where I keep all my photography stuff. All the props, boards, random silverware, plates, bowls, light bounces, lenses, camera and tripod, couldn’t get farther away from this corner of the house if they tried.

But this past weekend I decided to drag my beloved wood board made from recycled shipping palettes into that tiny corner of the family room, with my tripod leg butted up against the hearth of the fireplace and squeeze myself behind the camera (while literally almost having to sit on top of the wood burning stove as it pumped out 450 degree heat) to get a few shots in that magically lit space.

These cinnamon raisin oat bran pancakes necessitated it.

With their hearty, thick and rustic texture, they just belonged in that spot. They’re a chill pancake, one that borders on hipster with its main ingredients being oat bran and buckwheat, but still has a grasp on classical tradition with cinnamon and raisin.

They’re the kind of pancake breakfast that doesn’t require a side of eggs for satiety; they’ve got it all. They’re dense but texturally interesting thanks to the toasted coconut and raisins, healthy but not so much so that you feel like you’re eating straight out of the bulk bins from the natural foods store. And when you top them with a simple fruit compote (I used a simple wild blueberry and maple syrup smash), they’ve got everything you want and need in breakfast in a short stack.

I’ve been full blown obsessed with Bob’s Red Mill gluten free oat bran (they have gluten free versions of SO many oat products now, it’s awesome) lately (hi, I’m apparently 85). My usual and so very predictable way to enjoy it is just in typical hot cereal fashion heated up with a combination of milk and water, some nut butter swirled in and a few berries on top. I’m not really sure anything can beat these pancakes though when it comes to preparing oat bran. If you’re not into the hot cereal sludge texture thing (as a kid I was SO grossed out by it so I get it), these are the perfect (gluten free!) way to enjoy the health benefits of oat bran. Just find a cool corner of your house, don your hand-knit sweater and channel some of those inner hipster vibes before taking a bite.

Looking for more gluten free pancake recipes? Check out these banana nutmeg pancakes, these orange basil ricotta pancakes or these meyer lemon quinoa pancakes.

Notes

Top with your favorite fruit compote. I smashed some wild blueberries and maple syrup together for these.

Ingredients

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Oat Bran
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 14 cup light coconut milk (from a can)
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup toasted unsweetened coconut

Directions

Combine the oat bran, buckwheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
Add the egg, maple syrup, vanilla bean paste, and coconut milk to the bowl and stir until well combined.
Gently stir in the raisins and toasted coconut.
Grease a griddle over medium heat with butter or coconut oil.
Once hot, pour batter onto pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until browned and set. Flip pancake and cook an additional minute on the other side. Repeat until batter is finished, keeping cooked pancakes warm on a plate in the oven on the lowest temperature setting you can.
Serve warm and top with your favorite fruit compote or jam.