Xocolatl Fried Plantain Pfannkuchen

Ingredients:

For Fried Plantain Filling
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 large black ripe plantain
Splash of rum (white, dark, or spiced)
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne to taste

For Xocolatl Pfannkuchen
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (used special dark cocoa powder)
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional) 
2 tbsp vanilla sugar  (or normal sugar, brown sugar, or even molasses)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
dash cloves
dash cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup black coffee
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Extra coconut oil, if necessary, to grease the pan
Powdered sugar and cinnamon for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

On the stovetop, heat 2 tbsp coconut oil in cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Dice the plantain by peeling it, cutting it into thirds, cutting each third into quarter spears lengthwise and then dicing the spears into 1/4 inch chunks. When the oil is hot, toss the plantains in the pan, coating them evenly with the oil, and let them caramelize for a couple minutes. Once they have turned a golden yellow, add a splash of rum to deglaze the pan and stir the plantains around a bit while it boils off. Turn the heat to low and let the plantains cook down.

Meanwhile, whisk flour, cocoa, chocolate chips, sugar, spices, and salt in a bowl. Whisk in the yogurt, coffee, eggs, and extract until smooth. Add more coffee if the batter is too thick. It should be pourable like pancake batter.

Remove the skillet with the plantains from the heat, adding another tbsp of coconut oil if the pan looks dried out. Dust the plantains with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne. Pour the Xocolatl batter into the skillet over the fried plantains, distributing it evenly around the pan.

Put the skillet in the oven and bake 20 - 30 minutes or until the pfannkuchen puffs up and is set in the middle.

Once out of the oven, pfannkuchen will collapse as it cools. Run a knife around the edge, carefully lift it with a large spatula, and turn it out onto a plate for serving. Dust with cinnamon and powdered sugar, cut it into wedges or squares, and serve at room temperature.

You could also replace the vanilla with orange liquor/juice and zest or use bananas in place of the plantain.

Schokoladen-Pfannkuchen (German Chocolate Pancake)

My mom's signature dish, from the cookbook that came with her Oster Kitchen Center some 30+ years ago, is Apple Pfannkuchen.

I don't claim to make mom's original recipe. I've never been able to pull it off anyway. However, I am notorious for adjusting and "messing with" original recipes, so I made a chocolate version instead.

Ingredients:

For Pfannkuchen
3/4 cup milk (almond milk works too)
3 eggs
1/3 cup oat flour (or all purpose flour)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla/almond extract (or 1 splash of amaretto, which is what I used)

2 tbsp butter (for pie plate)

For Topping

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
shot of amaretto

Whipped cream


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put milk, eggs, flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and extract into a bowl. I use my immersion blender to blend it into a smooth batter. Or you can skip the bowl and put it all in a regular blender and use the highest speed to get a smooth batter.

Place the butter in a pie plate, then put that in the oven for a minute until it melts. Watch it closely so that it doesn't burn. Once the butter has melted, using oven mitts, take the pie plate out and carefully pour in the batter. Place the pie plate back in the oven and bake 20 - 30 minutes or until the pfannkuchen puffs up and is set in the middle.

While the pancake is baking, place berries and liquor (or you can use a shot of water, 1/2 tsp vanilla and sugar to taste) in a pot on the stove and heat on medium until the berries break down a bit and thicken into a sauce.

Once out of the oven, pfannkuchen will collapse as it cools. Serve warm, with the topping, and whipped cream.

Or wait until it cools and slice it like a pie into eighths. Spread the slices with peanut butter, and cinnamon or chocolate chips, then roll each one up like a crescent roll.

You could also replace the vanilla with orange liquor/juice and zest. Then spread it with marmalade, or Cannoli dip, instead of raspberry sauce.

Guten Appetit!

Chocolate Peanut Butter (Vampire) Bites

 These flour-less cookies are very intensely chocolate. One or two will kill a craving pretty handily.

Ingredients:

4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate (I used 1/2 an 8oz bar)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg (lightly beaten)

1/4 cup sugar to coat (I used red to make them look a little vampiric this time)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave in a large bowl. I melt it at 30 second intervals, checking it and stirring to break it up. Once it's about half melted, I go down to 15 seconds and stop when it is just all melted. Be careful not to scorch it.

Stir in peanut butter until well blended, then add sugar, salt, vanilla. Once the other ingredients are well blended, add the beaten egg. It might not look right at first, but keep stirring until a sticky dough forms. Something about the egg causes the rest of the ingredients to firm up.

Roll dough into 1" balls. Place the additional sugar in a small bowl and roll each ball to coat. Place an inch or so apart on a baking sheet and press down lightly with your palm to flatten them a little bit. They won't spread too much at all.

Bake until cookies start cracking, 10 to 12 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them or they will taste scorched. Cool 5 - 10 minutes on sheets to set the cookies (or they will crumble). Transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

Makes about 2 dozen bites.