Olive Oil Pancakes With Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt

Olive oil, chocolate, and sea salt may sound unusual together — but one taste is enough to convince you that they’re utterly sublime. Says Food52 user arielleclementine about this pancake recipe she developed: “Amanda’s chocolate toast (baguette + dark chocolate + olive oil + sea salt) easily makes the top five list of my favorite flavor combinations. These pancakes were inspired by Amanda’s chocolate toast, and I think the combination is just as wonderful in pancake form. I used Cook’s Illustrated’s Light and Fluffy Pancake batter as a jumping off point.” 

This recipe is excellent for either a leisurely weekend breakfast, or the always satisfying breakfast-for-dinner. Fluffy batter is the perfect backdrop for the richness and complexity of the dark chocolate and the sea salt — they’re like your favorite chocolate-chip pancakes, all grown up. 

Olive Oil Pancakes with Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt

Makes 10-12 six-inch pancakes

• 1.5 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup cornstarch

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 cups buttermilk

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 large egg, beaten

• canola oil, for frying

• 1 bar of your favorite dark chocolate (appx 4 oz), chopped into 1/2 inch chunks

• 1 tablespoon flaky sea salt

• good extra virgin olive oil, Spanish if you’ve got it, for serving

• orange zest, for serving (thanks to aargersi for the idea!)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and the beaten egg. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk a few times, so that the items are just combined, but some lumps remain. Allow the batter to rest 30 minutes if you’ve got the time.

2. Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet (cast iron if you’ve got it) over medium-low heat. Add a couple tablespoons of canola oil and heat until shimmery. Pour 1/2 cup of batter into the center of the pan and immediately scatter a generous tablespoon of chocolate chunks over the pancake, then top that with a small pinch of flaky sea salt, trying not to crush the flakes, if possible. Cook 1-2 minutes, until hollow bubbles appear around the top of the pancake and the edge looks good and crispy. Flip, and cook about 1 minute more, or until the bottom is evenly browned. Repeat this step, one pancake at a time, adding more oil as necessary, until all the batter has been used.

3. Serve the pancakes with a drizzle of good olive oil instead of butter and syrup (sounds weird but it works!) and some freshly grated orange zest. Yay pancakes!