corn and cranberry pancake cookies - the pancakie revolution has commenced!

Besides the fact that this title has a serious case of alliteration overboard, these pancake cookies were amazing and absolutely delicious! Seeing that this Chow Creation is the convergence of two of my favorite breakfast/dessert items, I couldn't see why this wouldn't be a home run. They are soft and pancake like, but have this buttery crumb like a cookie. It's the perfect breakfast food that everyone is going to go crazy for! Not mention that pairing of the sweet corn (that is right at it's peak season) and those sweet tart cranberries, this is killer! 

Now I know what most of you in the foodieverse must be thinking, is this the new Cronut. Yes, yes it is. In fact, I'm predicting this is going to be even bigger than the cronut because, unlike the Cronut, which is difficult to make and comes in a limited range of flavors, the Pancakie can be made by anyone with a whisk and there's an unlimited array of variations you can create. Soon households all over America will have their favorite Pancakie recipe and then it'll spread to Asia, and then Europe, and I'll be king of the world! ahemmmm...so yeah, Pancakies, they're gonna be huge.  

I've said this many times on this blog, I love desserts that I can eat for breakfast. The Coffee Cake or Buckle are perfect examples of this. But, everyone's made something like this before, so no one's impressed when you say you're serving coffee cake for breakfast. That's why I've combined two of my favorite breakfast/dessert items, the humble cookie and the pancake to create this ultimate fluffy, chewy, Cronut competitor!

To start we'll prepare the corn. Separate the kernels from the cob by running a sharp knife against the cob. Then with the back of the knife, scrape the remaining kernels and corn milk from the barren corn hull. The corn milk is some good stuff; it perfectly encapsulates that sweet grass flavor of the corn. 

Next, chop up the corn cob so that it can fit into a small saucepot, add the kernels and the milk (this time from a cow) and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. When it simmers turn off the heat and let it steep for ten minutes to infuse the milk with that corn flavor. 

In the meantime we'll prepare the dry ingredients. In a food processor add flour, powdered sugar and white sugar and pulse it till it's fine. This will essentially sift the flour and make the sugar finer, both ensuring we get a nice refined pancakie. 

Squeeze the corn milk from the corn cob and discard. Add the corn and milk - reserving 1/4 of it for later - into the food processor along with butter, salt, and vanilla. Pulse until smooth. Then add the rest of the corn and the cranberries and pulse it a couple of times, being cognizant of leaving chunks of corn and cranberry in the batter for texture and color. 

Fill a pastry bag, or if you're like me, a ziploc bag, and chill it in the freezer while you preheat the oven. It should be easier to pipe when the batter is cooler, but make sure it doesn't freeze.

In the time it takes you to preheat the oven, which will be to 375 F, butter a cookie pan and pipe cookies 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Leave a generous amount of space between each cookie because these will spread. Tap the pan on a dishcloth to get rid of any air bubbles that might be underneath the surface and bake for 13-16 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the tops look dry. 

All that's left to do is enjoy your pancakies. I suggest serving them in stacks, maybe you place a pad of butter on top or drizzle some maple syrup. Just remember to serve them hot right out of the oven. That way the corn flavor is at it's sweetest, and the pancake/cookie hybrid is at it's fluffiest and tenderest. Watch out Cronut, we're coming after you. And as always, 

Chow!

Recipe

1 large ear of corn
1/4 cup milk
1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoon dry cranberries

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