Gluten Free Oat Pancakes Using Powdered Sugar

I got inspired one weekend morning when I wanted something different than my usual soaked oats. It dawned on me to try pancakes by taking the rolled oats and turn them into flour using my high powered blender. I also wanted to make these truly gluten free (as long as the oats you use are certified gluten free) by eliminating the usual all purpose flour and instead use a different ingredient that works as a binder. My solution was cornstarch, but as I went to grab the cornstarch and sugar (another ingredient I needed), I stared right at the powdered sugar which is a combination of the two and thought "why won't I just use that"? So I did and the result was so simple and so delicious. Give these a try and you may never go back to wheat flour pancakes again.

This amount makes four large pancakes just a bit smaller than diner size. This is sufficient to feed two children or one hungry adult. If you need more, it is easy to double the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk of your choice (I use almond milk)
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp melted butter or neutral flavored oil
• Optional flavoring ideas - 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, blueberries, chocolate chips, etc.

Directions

• Add the first four dry ingredients to a high powered blender.
• Blend until the oats turn to a flour. If you don't get it entirely smooth, don't worry. The next step will continue to grind up the oats.
• Add the milk, egg, and oil and blend again until the batter is smooth.
• Let the batter stand at room temp for 2-3 minutes so the starches can absorb the liquid and thicken the batter while you preheat your pancake cooking skillet or pan over medium heat.
• Once the pan is heated through, coat the surface with cooking spray, butter, or oil.
• Pour the batter into the pan and cook as you would any pancake waiting for the bubbles to form on top and the edges to set so you can slide a spatula underneath (about 2 minutes).
• Flip the pancake and cook on the other side for 1 more minute until both sides are brown and the center is fluffy and not gooey.
• Note flipping may take practice. Since there is no wheat flour, they do not hold together during flipping as well as traditional pancakes. If you struggle, you can make the batter thicker by letting it sit out longer or using less milk but this may require cooking them longer at a lower temperature so the center can cook through before the outside burns.