Pikelets are as Australian as meat pies and Lamingtons. Quick to make – less than 20 minutes from start to finish – these mini pancakes are a delightful breakfast, or as a snack at any time of the day. These are really EASY Pikelets, I promise! Serve them with copious amounts of strawberry jam and cream for the true Aussie experience!
PIKELETS – an Aussie favourite!
It wasn’t until I was in my 20’s that I learned that pikelets are actually a very Aussie thing. I grew up thinking that kids all over the world were snacking on pikelets and begging their mums to make them for breakfast.
But actually, while they are well known in Australia and New Zealand (and apparently in Scotland???), the rest of the world is sadly deprived of pikelets.
Do you know what pikelets are? They are just mini pancakes! I don’t play favorites, I LOVE my pancakes, but the great thing about pikelets is that they can be eaten with your hands. It would be weird to daintily eat pikelets with a knife and fork. Just plain wrong!
The other little thing I want to share with you other than a little intro to essential Aussie grub is this very important cooking tip 😉 :
HOW TO MAKE THE FIRST PANCAKE PERFECT
Anyone who has made pancakes before would know that the first pancake comes out quite splotchy and sometimes a tad soggy, rather than perfectly light and fluffy and a beautiful golden brown. In fact, I even saw an episode of Brunch with Bobby Flay where he spoke of this exact problem.
It’s so childish of me, but I felt immense satisfaction with the knowledge that I knew something about cooking that Bobby Flay doesn’t know – that you can make the first pancake perfect, every single time.
All you need to do is melt butter in a non stick skillet, then wipe it off with a paper towel before putting the batter in the skillet. It’s a little trick I picked up from the clever folk over at America’s Test Kitchen. The pikelets in the skillet in the photo above are the first batch. They came out perfectly, just like this:
Pikelets are so popular in Australia, they are actually sold at supermarkets. It baffles me why anyone would ever buy them! I tried them once out of curiosity and they actually taste artificial. They have a weird fake vanilla-egg flavour.
But putting that, they cost a few dollars for a pack of 6 or so, whereas it would cost maybe $1 to make a dozen at home, with the added bonus that they taste so much better. And they are so fast to make, plus easier to handle in the skillet than pancakes.
An essential part of experiencing pikelets the true Aussie way is to serve them with copious amounts of jam and cream. Or lashings of butter. I’m partial to the jam and cream myself. 🙂
So whether for breakfast, for a snack, or a treat for company, I hope you give these easy Pikelets a go! And I hope you have a great weekend! – Nagi x
More Aussie favourites
-
Scones – and Lemonade Scones 3 ingredient shortcut scones!
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Pikelets
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups / 185g plain flour (Note 1)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup / 185ml milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extra (optional)
- 2 tsp butter
To Serve
- Strawberry jam and cream (heavy cream, whipped) or butter
Instructions
- Whisk flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the centre, add egg, milk and vanilla. Whisk until the batter is almost lump free - a few small ones is ok. The batter should be the consistency in between maple syrup and tomato sauce - see photo above in post.
- Melt butter in a NON STICK skillet over medium high heat. Then WIPE all the butter off with a paper towel so there are no visible drops of oil. This is how the first batch comes out beautifully golden instead of splotchy.
- Place 2 tbsp of batter (or 1/2 filled ice cream scooper which is what I use) into the skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface (see photo) then flip and cook the other side until golden (usually around 1 - 1 1/2 minutes). Repeat with remaining batter.
- Serve warm with jam and cream, or butter!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
I spy with my little eye….evidence that Dozer’s been snacking on pikelets…… 😉 Actually, I was training him to not touch food until I give the command. He absolutely hates practicing that which is why his face is turned away, refusing to look at the pikelet or the camera. Usually he just gets up and walks away from the food, that’s how much he detests it!
Oddree says
Oh man – that bit of cream on Dozer’s nose plus his expression kills me!
Nagi says
He actually had it ALL over his face….but his long tongue managed to clean most of it, just couldn’t reach all the way up there!!! 😉
Barb Finch says
I’d never heard of pikelets, either! Nagi, have you tried pancakes with maple syrup? That’s how we usually eat them here in the US!
Nagi says
Oh GOSH yes Barb!!! I LOVE my pancakes and I am way too generous with maple syrup!!! 🙂 N x
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
Eek! Nagi, it has just occurred to me while reading this that pikelets are AUSSIE!
My Australian mother-in-law makes them ALL the time (with pure cream instead of milk – can you imagine the calories, and she pretty much force-feeds them to us, bless her!)
Got to got to got to try these!
Have a lovely weekend, Sweetie Pie!!!
Nagi says
These are TOTALLY AUSSIE Helen!! Don’t you try to make this a Pommy thing!!! 😉
Julia @ HappyFoods says
When I first read the title of your post I thought to myself: What on Earth are pikelets? Never heard of such word before…but then I saw the picture and I knew right away! When we were kids mum would make these for us and top it with jam & cream like you did! And actually I haven’t eaten them since! So you would find them in some central European countries (definitely in Slovakia, the Czech Republic), but I doubt you would find them ready made in supermarkets :).
Nagi says
Awww, I am loving hearing all the different names that people know these by!!! What do they call them in central European countries???
Julia @ HappyFoods says
We call them “dolky” but not sure if this is the proper name 🙂
Nagi says
Dolky??? Googling!!!
Julia @ HappyFoods says
🙂 Do you know the special pans for frying eggs? The ones with like 4 spaces where you throw the eggs into and you get nice round shaped fried eggs afterwards? My mom would use the pan to make these in there! 🙂
Nagi says
I’ve never seen them!! OMG with the number of times we made these when I was growing up, we could have totally used it!!!
Hillary @ 918 Plate says
Nagi – small pancakes in the US are called “silver dollar” pancakes, but they are not usually so puffy and adorable! I will admit, I was really thrown off at first, because I read your first sentence as this recipe being a meat pie!!
Nagi says
Ohh!!!! I love that name! I have to go check out what Silver Dollar pancakes are!!! N x
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
I’ve never heard of them either but I will be making them this weekend. Now I’m a little red in the face to admit this BUT I have eaten a full size pancake with my hands. See, I put the filling in the center then rolled it up and there you go a pancake roll with filling 🙂 The pikelet is so cute I could even wrap a few up and have them for a snack — YUM. Thank you for sharing – we could start a big trend in the US. Have a great weekend xoxo
Nagi says
YES!!! I totally do that too Marisa, I just didn’t want to ADMIT IT!!!! N x
Nadine from the Adirondack Mountains says
Oh, WOW, Nagi — I am so glad that I somehow . . . . somehow was lucky enough to find your recipes and managed to sign up for your mailings!
A great big hug from the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York State!!!
Nadine!!
Nagi says
Hi Nadine from Adirondack Mountains! So glad you found me here! 🙂 I’ve never been to that part of New York, I’ve been south though. I must get there one of these days!!! Thank you for reading my site Nadine, I hope you find some recipes you want to try! N x
Nadine from the Adirondack Mountains says
The best time to visit northern New York state would be late summer, to enjoy the harvest; or the autumn to see the beautiful autumn leaves and to sample the apple crops — or winter for the frosty beauty and our locally farmed maple syrups! The light varieties of maple syrup are very popular, but the deeper ones are better, in my opinion! Hope you can make it someday!
It’s so very interesting to learn your recipes and cooking styles — all the way from Australia! We have enjoyed many of your recipes and I’ve saved others for future use. Thank you for all of them!
By the way, how is the word “Pikelet” pronounced? Does the Pike syllable rhyme with Mike? Or does it rhyme with the word “pick”?
Best —
Nadine
Nagi says
“Pike” + “letts” = pikelets! 🙂 You know, I’ve never been to NY during the winter!!! I hear it is VERY cold. I would love to get out of the city area during Autumn, I’ve been wanting to experience a real apple crop season for years!!! N x
Patti says
Nagi, being an American, I have to ask. What sort of cream?
Nagi says
Thanks for the question Patti! I use a heavy whipping cream 🙂 I’ll update the recipe! N x
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Nagi! I have never heard of these. I must admit I’m not usually a fan of pancakes, I much prefer waffles. However these look like a perfect snack or, better yet, for an appetizer brunch! Gary would eat these up as soon as they came out of the pan! Dozer looks so unhappy…I don’t think he appreciates your new training on bit! Have a great weekend! 🙂
Nagi says
He HATES this training!!! So Dorothy….I have a confession to make….I don’t have a waffle iron…..
Victoria of Flavors of the Sun says
I knew about Lamingtons and meat pies, of course, but pikelets are new to me! Might have one with a flat white, or is that from NZ? I love learning something new. And they look great. Plus, I think Dozer is showing a great deal of restraint, more than my Roscoe (border collie) would.
Nagi says
Flat whites are Aussie too!!! Can’t start a day without it!!! 😉
Hannah Hossack-Lodge (Domestic Gothess) says
In England I think pikelet generally refers to a crumpet that is cooked without a ring so it is much thinner, so it is like a yeasted, holey pancake; they aren’t that common though. These we would call scotch pancakes, either way they are delicious, and jam and cream is definitely the way to go!
Nagi says
Scotch pancakes?? I didn’t know that! I have to look that up – another reader also told me these are known as drop scones!
Heidi says
Nagi, I have been following your blog for a little while and I love checking in and finding new posts and recipes. This latest recipe brings back childhood memories, my Mum used to make them for us after school and we ate them with butter and golden syrup. However my Mum and Grandmother before her called them ‘drop scones’ not pikelets. I have never heard this term outside my family. My sister now cooks ‘drop scones’ together with my niece.
Nagi says
oooh! I forgot to mention golden syrup!!! I honestly have never heard the term “drop scones” before!!! Thank you for letting me know! N x
Heidi says
Hello Nagi, thanks for your reply. I have done some googling and it appears that the term ‘drop scones’ orignates in the UK. In Scottland they are called ‘Scottish pancakes’. I found an amusing story about a Queen a Elizabeth making them for US President Dwight Eisenhowser when he visited her at Balmoral Castle in 1959!!!
Nagi says
Loving the history Heidi, thanks so much for sharing that! N x PS Queen Elizabeth cooked???