Swedish/Finnish pancakes

These pancakes are absolutely scrumptious and light! I first learned to make them when I lived in Finland, and use my trusty Finnish pancake pan. You can find these pancake pans (called Swedish pancake pans) that are usually at least partly cast-iron in any good cookware store. Or you can use a regular frying pan.

I use a non-GMO plant based margarine substitute for butter, and they are just as delicious.

This recipe makes 24 silver dollar size pancakes, 3" in diameter.

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Whisk together in a large mixing bowl 1/2 of the milk and the eggs until well blendedn for a couple of minutes. Slowly whisk in the flour to prevent any lumps from forming, and beat until it is smooth, for another couple of minutes. Add the granulated sugar, the rest of the milk, vanilla extract and salt. Whisk in the melted butter, pouring it in a thin stream, until mixed in well and the batter is smooth.

Heat over medium heat your Swedish pancake pan or regular frying pan. Test the heat first with a small drop of the batter. When it is sizzling, you are ready to go. Pour about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the batter into each circle of your Swedish pancake pan. Don't fill it to the top. If you are using a regular frying pan, pour into the pan the same amount of batter, to form 3" in diameter pancakes. Cook for about 2 minutes or a little more until the edges of the pancakes are brown. You're not waiting for the batter to form bubbles on top, like with American style pancakes before you flip them. The batter on top will still be very wet,but as soon as those edges are brown, they are ready to flip! These are very thin pancakes, almost like mini crepes. Flip with a narrow spatula (traditionally they are flipped with a fork) and cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes.

I like to put the cooked pancakes on an ovenproof plate and keep warm in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit, adding more of them as they are done, until the whole batch is cooked.

Serve with some fresh sliced fruit, such as peaches, strawberries, whatever fruit is in season, along with preserves (I love blueberry jam) or maple syrup.