Filson Food: Cast Iron Blueberry Pancakes

This recipe works equally well camping, as it does on a lazy weekend morning. Pancakes are pretty perfect already, but this version takes it to whole other level, topped with ice cream, homemade streusel, and spices.

To make these pancakes while camping, make the streusel at home and keep it in an airtight container. Pre-portion the dry part of the batter recipe and bring the wet ingredients in a separate container.

hand holding a measuring cup full of blueberries over a stainless steel bowl of batter

Cast iron pans are great for cooking pancakes due to their weight and superior heat retention. Unlike a thin pan that will cool down quickly when ingredients are added to it, a cast iron pan will maintain a more uniform heat throughout the process. Whole spices do make a significant difference in flavoring but are not a necessity. If whole spices aren’t available, ground will work.

Makes approximately 2 orders of pancakes.

hands holding a sheet pan with crunchy granola bits being put into a wood fired stove — 1 of 1

INGREDIENTS & STEPS

Streusel

1 Vanilla bean
⅓ cup Butter
⅛ inch Cinnamon stick, finely grated (For ground cinnamon use ¼ tsp)
4 pods Cardamom, husk removed and crushed (For ground cardamom use ¼ tsp)
½ cup White flour
¼ cup Oats
2 tbsp Brown sugar
1 pinch Salt

Pancake Batter

1 cup White flour
⅓ cup Spelt flour
3 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1¼ cup Buttermilk
2 tbsp Butter, melted
½ cup Fresh blueberries

Extras

Vegetable oil
Ice cream, whatever flavor suits you
Maple syrup

butter dusted with spices, split vanilla bean in a stainless steel dish, whole cardamom pods in a jar on the side on a wood cutting board

Steps:

Streusel

1. Split and deseed the vanilla bean.
2. Combine the vanilla seed, cleaned vanilla bean, butter, cinnamon, and cardamom in a pan and stir, gently melting the butter.
3. In a bowl, mix the remainder of the ingredients. Drizzle in the butter mixture, stirring until the streusel comes together into a crumbly texture.
4. Spread the mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 325°F until light golden brown, approximately 8–15 minutes.
5. Allow the streusel to cool completely and store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.

paring knife splitting a vanilla bean — 1 of 3

hand holding a small sauce pan pouring butter over some crushed nuts — 2 of 3

hands spreading crushed crunchy bits onto a sheet pan — 3 of 3

Pancake Batter

1. Place a cast-iron pan over medium-low heat and allow it to come up to temperature.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
3. In a separate container, mix the wet ingredients until the eggs are incorporated.
4. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients to make a batter. Do not over-mix the batter—it will be slightly lumpy.
5. Add the blueberries and mix the batter once or twice more.
6. Add 1–2 teaspoons of oil to one side of the cast iron pan and place 3 fluid ounces of batter on top.
7. Repeat this 1–2 more times in your pan or as many as you can fit without crowding the pan.
8. Cook the pancakes over medium-low until the tops of the pancakes are covered in small holes. This signals that the pancakes are ready to be flipped.
9. Flip the pancakes, apply a small amount of oil around the pancakes, and cook until they are fluffy and spring back under the pressure of your finger.
10. Plate the pancakes and top them with ice cream, streusel, and maple syrup.