Swedish Pancakes - UPDATED

UPDATE: For all of you losing sleep over the outcome of the "healthy" pancake attempt, see part two.

And now, for something completely different...

In response to this wonderful-sounding pancake topping, I immediately thought of putting it over my favorite Swedish pancakes. The recipe was "handed down" from my mom, but I'll have to ask where it came from.

Disclaimer: I'm not a great cook. I can follow a recipe and there are a few ingredients I'll experiment with. One the best cookbooks I own is The Dinner Doctor, which is basically inventive recipes from prepared foods. I like it quick and easy. With that out of the way, here's the recipe.

1 1/2 cup Flour

3 tbls Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

3 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

2 tbls butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla*

Mix the eggs, milk, sugar, salt, butter and vanilla and flour. I have a stand mixer and I just dump everything in that because I'm lazy, but you can stir it together or use a hand mixer. You should end up with a thin batter, these are actually more like crepes than true pancakes. Pour some of the batter slowly into a hot skillet (if you pour too fast, your pancakes end up with arms when the batter runs). You can make your pancakes whatever size you like, I usually go for a little smaller than a regular tortilla. There's really no secret to cooking them, just wait until the middle bubbles and the sides start to curl, flip, and do the other side.

This makes about a dozen pancakes, depending on the size. I usually do a double batch and freeze any we don't eat.

Note: Vanilla is one of those ingredients I will mess with. I like vanilla and I have yet to discover a recipe where doubling the vanilla did not improve the outcome, but your mileage may vary. I use 2 tsp of vanilla in this recipe and if the measuring spoon overflows a little, I don't worry about it. Also, if I think of it, I add some cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter, call it 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp nutmeg for a doubled recipe. I don't measure the spices and the pancakes turn out fine whether I remember or not.

These are not healthy pancakes, if there even is such a thing, but I will probably try a couple things next time I make them (the pounds don't melt away like they used to these days). First, I've had really good luck substituting Egg Beaters Egg Whites for eggs in cooking, so I will try that. Second, I've also had good luck substituting powdered milk for real milk in recipes. Last, I have made these with both butter and margarine and I honestly don't notice a difference. Those changes would knock out quite a bit of the fat and cholesterol and I don't think they would affect the taste. Looking at the recipe is making me hungry, so maybe I will try those changes tomorrow morning and let you know.