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.

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
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!)
Notes
- 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.
Carolyn
Friday 28th of July 2023
I LOVE your recipes Libby, they are old fashioned and that is my favourite 'food Genre', I'm about to try the potato pancakes over the weekend, yum
Libby Hakim
Monday 31st of July 2023
Hi Carolyn. Hope you enjoyed the pancakes. Plenty more old fashioned recipes to try here at Cooking with Nana Ling. Happy cooking :)