Also known as drop scones, these pancakes which originated in Scotland are always a good idea!

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or scroll for handy tips and a little nostalgia.

This Scotch Pancakes Recipe was recorded by Nana Ling in the early 1940s.

We’re big fans of pancakes in our house, however we hadn’t come across a recipe for Scotch Pancakes before.

Hubby thought there may have been a drop of Scotch whisky in them, but – no – they’re completely kid-friendly.

scotch pancakes with jug of maples syrup in background

Also known as drop scones, these delicious treats originated in Scotland. As the name suggests!

They are somehow even more delicious than all of the other pancake recipes I’ve tried in my various cookbooks.

We cooked up a batch, stacked them up, and then got a little less traditional by adding a generous amount of maple syrup and a little scoop of ice cream.

The result?

Heaven.

Scotch Pancakes: the ingredients

To make up this recipe, you’ll need:

SR flour (or plain/all purpose flour plus baking powder)
golden syrup (or light corn syrup)
sugar
milk
cold water
eggs.

I love whipping up my pancakes in an old-style mixing and pouring jug. Having a pouring spout makes it easier to create perfect circles as you cook off your pancakes.

Tips for cooking perfect pancakes

To get the best results, keep these tips in mind when cooking up your pancakes:

use fresh eggs
don’t overbeat the batter
let the batter rest for at least 5 minutes before cooking pancakes
heat frying pan to a medium heat only
grease pan lightly
flip pancakes when bubbles appear and start bursting
flip only once.

Other Scottish recipes

There are quite a few other Scottish recipes I’ll be adding as I make my way through Nana Ling’s collection of recipes from the past.

I’ve already added this amazing traditional Scottish shortbread recipe and the sweetest treat of all, Scottish tablet.

Nana Ling’s Scotch Pancakes recipe

Keep scrolling for the tested and tweaked version.

Scotch Pancakes

Also known as drop scones, these pancakes which originated in Scotland are always a good idea!

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Australian, Scottish

Keyword: pancakes, scotch pancakes

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 20

Servings: pancakes

Calories: 75kcal

Ingredients

2 cups SR flour (or plain/all purpose flour with 6 teaspoons baking powder)
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon golden syrup (or light corn syrup)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cold water
2 eggs

Instructions

Sift flour into a bowl and add sugar.
Add syrup and stir in with a knife.
Beat eggs and add milk and water.
Add to dry ingredients and mix to a batter. Use a whisk but do not overbeat. Instead, just stir until all lumps are removed and you have a smooth batter.
Pour batter into a jug with a pouring spout.
Grease and then heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan.
Pour mixture into pancakes of about 8cm in diameter.
Wait until bubbles form and then flip and cook on the other side for a couple of minutes.
Serve warm with maple syrup and ice cream (or something else equally delicious!)