I am a nut hoarder. When grocery shopping, I always buy nuts, thinking I don't have any at home. Then I find packages and packages of nuts in the freezer. I always keep nuts in the freezer to maintain freshness and I always taste one or two before putting them in a recipe. I have ruined food with rancid nuts too many times to not learn this lesson.
This morning in the freezer I found pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, black walnuts (yuck), and several packages of my favorite nut, the pecan. I have whole pecans, chopped pecans and pecan chips. As I pondered the nut overage I wondered how I could use them. I thought about making a pecan pie but the thought of making pie dough at 8:00 a.m. wasn't working for me. The idea of pecan pie was working though and I parlayed that craving into pecan pie pancakes. Oh yes I did! And they were spectacular.
I created a topping which, to me, tastes just like the filling in a pecan pie. I used brown sugar in place of granulated sugar in the pancake batter recipe. My plan was to add pecans to the pancake batter but I forgot, which resulted in a happy accident.
Notice the pretty scalloped edges on my pancakes? That happened when I sprinkled a few pecans in a pancake-sized circle in the hot skillet. I used a cookie scoop to measure the batter and pour it over the pecans. The batter caught on the pecans and flowed around them creating the scalloped edge. After the first one, it became a challenge to see if I could make the next one even prettier. Retirement gives one the freedom to engage in such silliness at 8:00 a.m. on a Wednesday morning. I imagine these would work better for a weekend brunch for most folks. Easter morning just begs for pecan pie pancakes don't you think?
Pecan Pie Pancakes
Ingredients
For the topping:
- 3 TBS butter
- 2 TBS brown sugar
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon mild flavor molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
For the pancakes:
- 1 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 ¼ TBS baking powder
- 2 TBS brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 whole large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 tbs Oil
- ¼ cup Chopped pecans
Instructions
For the topping:
- Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the sugar melts, add the pecans and reduce the heat to low.
- Cook 10 minutes to bring out the nutty flavor. Add the corn syrup, molasses, vanilla, and salt. Stir well and heat through.
- You may keep it warm over very low heat until ready to serve or remove from the heat and re-heat just before serving. This topping becomes stiff when it cools so it will definitely need to be heated to pour.
For the pancakes:
- In a small bowl mix the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to mix, then set aside.
- In another bowl add the milk, egg, and vanilla and whisk lightly. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and whisk just to mix.
- Add the melted butter and whisk it in. The batter should still be lumpy. If it is too thick, add a little more milk to thin it down.
- Heat a griddle or skillet to medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil. Place chopped pecans in a small pancake-sized sized circle.
- Just use a few and scatter them randomly leaving spaces between. Pour a small circle of batter into the center of the pecans.
- Allow the batter to flow around the pecans. When bubbles form on top and being to pop, use a spatula to flip the pancakes over. Cook on the opposite side until light golden brown and cooked through.
- You can keep them warm in a 250 degree oven until they are all done ar serve them as they come off the griddle. Top with a pat of butter and the warm topping.
Nutrition
Approximate nutrition information is provided as a convenience and courtesy only. You are encouraged to do your own calculations if precise data is required.
We take every effort to ensure that the estimated meal cost per serving is accurate. We use a meal cost analysis application that estimates the cost of a recipe based on groceries purchased at a Walmart store in my geographical area, northern California.
Sandra @ Scrumptilicious 4 You! says
Love your link! Thanks for partying with us on the Four Seasons Blog Hop! Sandra from Scrumptilicious 4 You!
Nici says
I'm almost speechless. Wowzers! Those sound amazing and are absolutely beautiful! Pinning! Thanks for linking up to our All Things Thursday Blog Hop! Have a great weekend!
Blessings,
Nici
Mary says
Thanks Nici, they're probably low cal too! 🙂
Gloria // Simply Gloria says
These pancakes are absolutely gorgeous, Mary! I never knew you could freeze nuts, thank you for sharing! I love how you put brown sugar in these in place of the granulated sugar... the texture must be amazing! Can't wait to try these, pinning and bookmarking!
Cindy Eikenberg says
Hi Mary! These pancakes looks simply incredible (and does your shrimp!) Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes and stunning photography at Best of the Weekend! I'm featuring your wonderful pancakes at tomorrow's party. Thank you again for sharing with us and hope you have a happy Friday!
Mary says
Thanks Cindy!
Erin @ The Speckled Palate says
Well, you've definitely sold me on these pancakes... and I kind of want them right now, even though it's far past breakfast time. (Pancakes for lunch? Might be making that a thing!) And I think you're right... these pancakes would be fabulous for Easter morning breakfast!
Also, this was one of my favorite from last week's That's Fresh Friday! I'll be sharing it tomorrow evening as one of my favorites from the week, so thanks for sharing!
Natasha In Oz says
They look so delicious. Your photos are amazing too! I am pinning this right now!
If you have a minute to spare I would be so thrilled if you could stop by my blog and share your recipe at my weekly Say G'day Link up. This would be a delicious addition!
Best wishes,
Natasha in Oz