If you're looking for heaven on a plate for breakfast, look no further than these crazy good butterscotch pancakes. I thought our cornbread pancakes with butter pecan syrup were good, but these beauties take the pancake goodness to a whole 'nother level! Seriously.
The homemade butterscotch sauce is well worth the effort to make. You can even make a second batch to use as a dessert topping. This all-American pancake recipe has got to be one of the best I have ever tasted!
🥄 Equipment
This recipe uses the following equipment (affiliate links):
- Griddle (not needed if using a skillet).
- Large skillet (not needed if using a griddle).
- Large glass bowl.
- Medium glass bowl.
- Whisk.
🧾 Ingredients
Butterscotch Sauce
- Unsalted butter (½ cup). It's important to use unsalted butter because you will be adding kosher salt. We don't want the sauce to be too salty.
- Dark brown sugar packed (½ cup). When measuring out the dark brown sugar, press it down into the measuring cup with the back of a spoon. See photo below.
- Heavy cream (1 cup). This may be labeled heavy whipping cream. Be sure to use fresh cream.
- Kosher salt (½ teaspoon). Adds flavor.
- Vanilla extract (2 teaspoons). Adds flavor.
- Scotch whiskey (1 tablespoon). This is an optional ingredient. It adds flavor if you choose to use it.
Pancakes
This recipe uses both baking soda and baking powder which makes for fluffy pancakes despite the additional of the butterscotch sauce, which could weight them down a bit. The flavor payoff is well worth it!
- All-purpose flour (1½ cup).
- Baking powder, double acting (1½ teaspoon). Necessary to add rise. Double acting baking powder is the most common and what you are likely to find in your grocery store. It is first activated when you add liquid to it, then it is activated again when baked (in this case on a griddle or skillet).
- Baking soda (¾ teaspoon). Adds rise. This ingredient needs to be very fresh to be effective. It only lasts a couple of months. If your box of baking soda is very old, put it in your fridge to absorb odors and buy a new carton.
- Salt (¼ teaspoon). Helps to bring out the butterscotch flavor.
- Large eggs (2). Adds structure and rise.
- Buttermilk (1 cup). Adds tangy flavor and helps with the rise.
- Homemade butterscotch sauce (1 cup). The recipe for this sauce is included here. This is where the flavor and sweetness lies. Good stuff!
- Unsalted butter, melted and cooled (3 tablespoons). Using unsalted butter allows us to control the salt content. It's a good idea to melt it and allow it to cool fully before using it in this recipe. If you forget to allow it to cool, it's no biggie, but I usually try to avoid adding anything hot to raw eggs. We don't need to make scrambled eggs here! 😉
📝 Instructions
Butterscotch Sauce
Pancakes
Step 4. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Coat generously with butter, then ladle ⅓ cup batter onto griddle for each pancake.
Complete Pancake Guide
Looking for more information about making pancakes? Visit our complete guide for making homemade pancakes from scratch, including detailed ingredient information, step-by-step instructions and more!
❓ FAQs
You can store leftover pancakes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. To freeze, cut a few pieces of wax paper to size and place a sheet between each pancake. Place the pancakes in a freezer bag and seal tight. You can reheat each pancake in the toaster as needed. Making pancakes ahead and freezing them is a great way to have homemade pancakes ready to go during the week when everyone seems to be so busy. Step aside Eggo!
Your baking powder and/or baking soda may have expired. Make sure that you use fresh baking powder and baking soda. Once opened, baking soda is only good for a couple of months.
🥞Related Recipes
Love pancakes? Here are a few more recipes to try!
- Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes.
- Peanut Butter Pancakes. Egg-free.
- Orange Pancakes.
- Cornbread Pancakes.
- Lemon Blueberry Pancakes.
- Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes.
- Pancakes for One.
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📖 Recipe
Butterscotch Pancakes
Ingredients
Butterscotch Sauce
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon Scotch whiskey optional
Pancakes
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder double acting
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup butterscotch sauce recipe included
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
Instructions
Butterscotch Sauce
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add the brown sugar and stir to combine.Bring to a boil then reduce to a slow and steady boil and continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes.
- Carefully add the heavy cream and salt. Stir to combine. Bring mixture back to a slow boil. While stirring, cook another 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and Scotch, if using.
- Set aside and allow to cool. Sauce will thicken as it cools.
Pancakes
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, homemade butterscotch sauce (recipe above) and melted butter.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter will still be slightly lumpy.
- Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Coat generously with butter, then ladle ⅓ cup batter onto griddle for each pancake.
- Cook until the edges are golden and bubbles form and pop on the surface, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking, about 2-3 minutes longer.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Nutritional information provided is for one serving and is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
📚 References
Butterscotch sauce recipe adapted from Ridiculously Easy Butterscotch Sauce from The Cafe Sucre Farine.
Sandra’s pancake recipe is really good!
Butterscotch really enhances the flavor. Can’t wait to make them again.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the pancakes!
This was an awesome recipe! My 17 year old son wanted butterscotch pancakes for his birthday (all three of my kids get to select their entire daily menu 🙂 but I'd never even heard of them before! I searched the internet and with 5 starts, I selected this one. I was not hard to make, and all the photos matched all of the steps I did at home. That gave me comfort. I accidentally added the scotch and vanilla too early (it didn't make a difference actually, but be CAREFUL as it began to sizzle, pop and bubble I got splattered and it could have been more dangerous I think). I have never eaten butterscotch pancakes, but as a child that was one of my favorite candies! This was incredible and they were delicious! I felt like I had baked something (and I don't bake). I had extra sauce leftover and we all used it in place of syrup, incredible! Also, I added a handful of butterscotch baking candy melts because I wanted to make sure it was really flavorful. It was perfect! :)Thank you!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the pancakes, Amber! I hope your son had a wonderful birthday! 🙂 We have a butterscotch shake coming up soon also. Stay tuned!