SUBSCRIBE BY EMAILQueen Elizabeth II’s Drop Scones (Scottish Pancakes) are worth every bite! Eat these thick, hearty pancakes for breakfast or dinner, as they’re amazingly tasty and filling.
Would you ever think of drop scones (or Scottish pancakes) when you think of Queen Elizabeth II? Yeah, me neither.
With Queen Elizabeth’s passing, I’ve been reading loads of stories about her life and, of course, watching the ceremonies on T.V., as well as the ongoing coverage of the thousands of people in The Queue, waiting to pay their respect to her.
I remember my dad gleefully telling everyone each year that he and the Queen “almost” share the same birthday. They were born days apart (him in Italy) in the same year. When I think of her, I always think of him.
In the stories I’ve read, one caught my attention: Apparently, Queen Elizabeth II made drop scones for President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1959. Can you imagine?
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Queen Elizabeth II’s Drop Scones (Scottish Pancakes)
As noted in the National Archives, “In August 1959, Queen Elizabeth entertained President Dwight Eisenhower at Balmoral Castle near Edinburgh. At a barbecue in the Scottish highlands, the Queen made drop scones for the President using a family recipe. The following year, enclosed in a letter to the President, Queen Elizabeth included an annotated copy of her recipe.”
In the Queen’s recipe, she noted that it makes “Enough for 16 people.” I’m not sure how big she made her drop scones, and I’ve read people say they make theirs the size of silver dollars.
I decided to reduce the recipe by half and make each drop scone about 5 inches in diameter. That yielded 6, thick pancakes. I added a touch of salt and changed up the instructions a bit (I whisked the flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar together).
The name of the recipe implies you’d have the popular English biscuit-like pastry on your hands, but what you’ll get are are thick and hearty pancakes.
Serve drop scones with your favorite fresh fruit and maple syrup. So good!
Try These More Traditional-Style Scones with Fun Flavors
Mini Funfetti Scones
Mini S’mores Scones with Marshmallow Glaze
Blueberry & Lemon-Thyme Scones
Savory Broccoli, Cheddar, and Chive Scones
I respect the Queen’s lifelong commitment to her duties. She was a strong and steadfast woman leader. Over the past week I’ve truly enjoyed reading about her love of animals.
The Queen was “the Queen” the world over. While I would never have associated pancakes with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, this was a fun story and I’ll for sure continue to make these tasty drop scones.
Whether you try Queen Elizabeth II’s Drop Scones (Scottish Pancakes) recipe for breakfast or breakfast-for-dinner, you’re in for a delicious treat.
In fact, after I made and photographed these, my husband and I dug in and his exact words were, “That’s a good pancake.”
Patricia @ Grab a Plate
Serves Makes 6 pancakes
Save Recipe5 based on 7 review(s)
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- Butter for the skillet
Instructions
- Mix together the egg, sugar, and half the milk.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, a little at a time, stirring to combine, alternating with the milk adding a little at a time until gone.
- Fold in the melted butter.
- Add a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, reduce the heat to medium-low and add a bit of butter.
- Drop the batter into the center of the skillet to for a 5-inch round. Cook for a few minutes until small bubbles appear on top.
- Flip the drop scone over and cook for another minute or so.
- Add more butter to the skillet as needed.
- Serve warm with fresh fruit and maple syrup.
Notes
This recipe for Queen Elizabeth II’s Drop Scones (Scottish Pancakes)is from the National Archives. I reduced the recipe by half and made each pancake about 5 inches in diameter. This made 6 hearty pancakes.
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