Maple Pecan Pancakes

FROM SUE · PRINTABLE RECIPE

Maple Pecan Pancakes

Toasted pecans give these small pancakes a nutty crunch, with brown sugar and vanilla in the batter and pure maple syrup poured over the finished stacks. Half the pecans are chopped into the batter; the rest make a crisp topping. The batch makes twelve small pancakes, or three per person for four servings. Pour about ¼ cup (60 ml) of batter per pancake and cook over medium-low heat. Keep the finished pancakes warm on a rack while you cook the remaining batches.

Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 20 minutes · Total: 35 minutes · Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 200 g All-purpose flour
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• 2 eggs, large Large eggs
• 240 ml 2% milk
• 40 g, 30 g for batter, 10 g for pan Unsalted butter, melted
• 80 g Pure maple syrup
• 60 g, divide evenly Pecan halves
• 25 g Light brown sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• ⅛ tsp Salt

Instructions

1. Toast the 60 g pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2–4 minutes, stirring, until fragrant and lightly colored. Cool on a plate. Chop 30 g finely for the batter; keep the remaining 30 g whole or roughly chopped for topping.
2. Measure 40 g butter. Melt 30 g and let it cool until warm. Reserve the other 10 g for the pan; the nutrition estimate counts the full amount.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl, breaking up sugar lumps. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and cooled butter until even.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold with a spatula, scraping the bowl's bottom, until no dry flour remains; a few lumps are fine. Fold in the chopped pecans with a few strokes. Stop when they spread through the batter; overmixing can make pancakes firm.
5. Rest the batter for 5 minutes while a large nonstick skillet or griddle warms over medium-low heat. The rest overlaps with pan heating inside the 15-minute prep time. If the batter thickens, stir once from the bottom. Set a wire rack over a tray for the cooked pancakes.
6. Brush the skillet with a little reserved butter. Scoop ¼ cup (60 ml) batter per 12 cm pancake, leaving room. Cook two or three at a time for 2–3 minutes, until bubbles appear and edges set. Lower the heat if the undersides darken first.
7. Turn each pancake with a thin spatula. Cook 1–2 minutes, until golden and the center springs back lightly. Transfer to the rack and cover loosely with foil. Grease the pan as needed with measured butter; cook the remaining batter in batches. Allow about 20 minutes total for twelve pancakes.
8. Check the center of a thick pancake: it should look set with no wet batter. Do not taste uncooked batter, which contains raw flour and egg. If the center stays wet, lower the heat and cook another minute per side. Serve three pancakes each, dividing the toasted pecans between the stacks.
9. Use all 80 g maple syrup across the four plates, about 20 g per person. Serve warm. Syrup can be room temperature; to warm it, heat gently in a small pan and remove it once warm so it does not bubble or scorch.

Kitchen notes

• Weigh the flour and pecans for the closest repeat. If you use cups, spoon flour in and level it; dipping and packing can make the batter heavy. The gram amounts define this formula.
• Use double-acting baking powder. Stir it into the flour evenly before adding the wet ingredients, so the pancakes rise evenly. If the powder is old or has been stored in a damp cupboard, replace it before mixing.
• Keep the heat at medium-low. A hot pan can brown the outside before the center sets. Lower the burner if the butter starts to smoke or the first batch darkens too quickly.
• The optional butter pat shown in the hero image is separate from the listed 40 g and is excluded from the nutrition estimate. All listed maple syrup is counted; extra syrup is not.