Coconut Brown Ale Pancakes with Coconut Cream and Toasted Macadamia Nuts

Back in college I was fortunate to be introduced to decent local and craft beers pretty early in my drinking history.  Stevens Point Brewery was well established and well loved among the city and college.  Back then the beer list was much smaller than the current selection, with Point Special and Amber being the best know of their flagship. And their sodas!   They had just released their root beer; black cherry and vanilla cream were close on the horizon.  My second experience with a dark beer, after Guinness of course, was a dunkel...part of their Augsburger line, sadly now defunct.  Another favorite seasonal beer at the time was the Bock, not that I remember the beer so much as the event that surrounded it.  Every spring, around the first weekend on March, Point hosted a pancake breakfast to celebrate the release.  Pancakes made with Bock beer.  Sadly, this brew has also been discontinued, but the Bock legacy lives on in the Steven Point Bock Run every spring.

I've been toying with a few beer pancake a recipes for a while now.  However, an incredibly inspiring class taught by Homebrew Chef Sean Paxton finally pushed me to act.

The beer that inspired this recipe is a nut brown ale, infused with coconut--Koko Brown by Kona Brewing.  This beer is becoming more and more readily available throughout the country.  If a coconut brown ale is nowhere to be had, any brown ale would work, but do substitute coconut extract for the vanilla.

The browned butter and dry malt extract in the pancakes help to enhance the nutty quality of the ale, as do the toasted macadamia nuts sprinkled on top.  To ramp up the coconut, without overpowering the pancake, I served the cakes up with toasted coconut and whipped coconut cream.

Textures are played up as well.  The pancake is slightly thin, but still fluffy.  The toasted nuts and flaked coconut offer a lovely crunch and the whipped coconut cream calls to mind the fluffy head of the beer.

Enjoy with the remaining Koko brown or a coffee stout.

The recipe is my own

yields about 12 pancakes

The Ingredients:
for the pancakes
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp dry malt extract, dark
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla or coconut extract
1 cup coconut brown ale
3 Tbsp butter

for the crunchy topping
3 Tbsp macadamia nuts
1/4 cup flaked coconut, unsweetened

for the coconut cream
1 - 15 oz can full fat coconut milk (LITE DOES NOT WORK!!)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp sugar

 The Process:
for the coconut cream
Place the unopened can of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight.

Once chilled, open and spoon out the thick cream that has separated to the top.  Reserve the liquid for another use.

In a chilled bowl, whip the coconut cream with the sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Keep chilled until ready to use.

For the topping:
Coarsely chop the nuts and flaked coconut.  Place in a dry, ungreased skillet over medium heat and toast  until fragrant and lightly browned, 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and set aside

For the Pancakes:
In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until it becomes golden brown in color with a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, dry malt extract, sugar and baking powder.  In another bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla and beer.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry, mixing until just incorporated.  Fold in the browned butter.

Grease a large skillet and preheat it over medium high heat.  Spoon the pancake batter into the pan, using about 3 Tbsp- 1/4 cup per pancake.  Cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip and cook until browned on the other side, about 2 minutes each side.

Serve warm with toasted topping and coconut cream.