These little pancake ice cream sandwiches are so much fun to eat for breakfast! They are great little treats to make any time of the year, but in case you missed it, last Saturday was Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day.
Rumor has it that the holiday started when a smart (or maybe desperate) mother decided to liven up a cold and dreary February day by feeding her kids ice cream for breakfast. The holiday is officially the first Saturday of February, but it's okay if you missed it. We're in the same boat. I'm celebrating the holiday today with these pancake ice cream sandwiches. But really, in my eyes, Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day can be celebrated any day of the year. No judgement here if you want to eat ice cream for breakfast. :)
I made these pancake ice cream sandwiches in little hearts because Valentine's Day is coming up. Jonathan is going to be away for Valentine's Day this year, so we shared these little treats this morning before his flight. These are perfect for Valentine's Day breakfast because you can make them the night before, and on Valentine's morning, you'll just have to scurry to the freezer, pop them onto a tray, and bring them back up to the bedroom for a delightful breakfast in bed!
The pancakes are based off Japanese dorayaki pancakes. I spread them a bit thinner than Japanese dorayaki pancakes by using a crepe pan and crepe fork.
You don't need the pancakes super thin, but I like my ice cream sandwiches with a thin pancake and a super fatty stack of ice cream in the middle. The pancakes are sturdier than normal fluffy pancakes so they also hold the ice cream together better. They also cut out nicely with my nifty mini ice cream sandwich maker kit (affiliate link) without crumbling (you'll need one of these, or something similar, to make these pancake ice cream sandwiches).
You can roll the outside of these pancake ice cream sandwiches in sprinkles, but I would recommend making them in round shapes if you are going to do that. I tried to roll a few of these heart pancake ice cream sandwiches in sprinkles, but I had a hard time getting the sprinkles in the "butt" of the heart. But they are beautiful as is - so no need to trouble yourself with the extra step unless you want to be an overachiever. And in that case, please do tag #theworktop and share your photos so I can admire your hard work!
Happy Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day and Happy Valentine's Day! If you are looking for another ice cream breakfast to celebrate with, try these Champagne Pear Crepes.
Pancake Ice Cream Sandwiches
Print Recipe Save RecipeIngredients
For the pancakes
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ - 1 tablespoon water
- oil - for cooking the pancakes
For the ice cream sandwiches
- 1 small tub vanilla ice cream (about ¼ gallon or 1 liter)
- sprinkles - to decorate (optional)
Instructions
To make the pancakes
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and honey until it is light and fluffy, and the eggs are a light yellow color.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder, and mix until everything is just combined. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes.
- When the batter is almost done resting, preheat a crepe pan (or large skillet with a flat bottom) to medium heat.
- Stir in ½ a tablespoon of water to the batter at a time, stopping when the batter becomes thin enough that it flows off the end of the whisk smoothly like a very thin ribbon. The batter will be thicker than most other pancake batters. I used 1 tablespoon of water.
- Dip a paper towel in oil, and carefully wipe the bottom of the pan with the oil, coating it evenly. Once the oil is hot, carefully spoon in ½ cup of the batter. Using a crepe fork, quickly spread the batter evenly across the pan so it is ¼ inch (½ cm) thick.
- When the surface of the batter starts to bubble (about 30 seconds to 1 minute), carefully flip the pancake to the other side. Cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Cool pancakes on a cooling rack.
To make the ice cream sandwiches
- Compile the ice cream sandwiches using an ice cream sandwich maker (I used these (affiliate link): <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C0YEQEU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00C0YEQEU&linkCode=as2&tag=theworkt-20&linkId=25U23DVPIQR646MN">Cuisipro Mini Ice Cream Sandwich Maker</a>). Make sure you make the ice cream sandwiches with the "pretty side" of the pancake facing the outside.
- Eat immediately, or place the pancake ice cream sandwiches back in the freezer.
Angela says
These are adorable. I want one now, such a simple idea, but really effective. Beautifully captured too.
Tina Jui says
Thanks, Angela. Happy Valentine's Day to you!
Jonathan says
I feel like these were missing from my childhood...