OMFG: Figolli Pancakes Are Now A Thing
In a swift move which has answered all the prayers we didn’t know we had, Maltese food blogger Island Eats has come up with a Figolla Pancake. Yes, those two words now exist in the same sentence, and the result looks incredible.
“To be honest, I’ve had this idea for figolli pancakes since last Easter and have been dying to try them out ever since,” the blogger said. Her Maltese-American heritage was the inspiration to the mouth-watering treat, and she said she was definitely not disappointed with the experiment’s results.
“There is no greater satisfaction than cutting into those soft, super-fluffy pancakes and see all that warm almond paste oozing out!”
Using her mother’s almond paste recipe for the filling (“because her figolli are hands-down the best”), Island Eats added almond extract and lemon zest to the pancake batter “to ensure that all the key flavours of my favourite Maltese tradition are present!”
If you’re interested in preparing your very own Figolli Pancakes and impressing all your family and friends this year, here’s the magic behind the scenes:
Pancake Batter:
- 1 and a half cups of all-purpose flour
- 3 and a half teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 and a quarter cups of milk
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons of melted butter (and another tablespoon for greasing)
- 1 teaspoon of almond extract
- Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 small lemon, zested
Filling:
- 200 grams of ground almonds
- 160 grams of icing sugar
- 1 lemon, zested
- 2 egg whites
- Half a teaspoon of vanilla
- Half a teaspoon of almond extract
Topping:
- 2 tablespoons of icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon of water
- A drop of blue food colouring
- 1 chocolate egg
1) To make the filling, mix all the ingredients in a bowl throughly. The mixture will be thick and almost like a dough; if too sticky add a touch more ground almond.
2) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust your hands with flour, grab 2 heaping tablespoons of the mixture and form a ball in your hands. Flatten it into a thin disc and place on parchment paper. Continue process, dusting your hands with flour after each disc. Freeze the discs for 2 hrs up to overnight.
3) Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and allow to cool. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk, egg, butter, almond and vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk the mixture until just encorporated.
4) Take the almond discs out of the freezer. Heat a medium-sized non-stick pan over medium heat. Brush the pan with some melted butter, then add 3 tbsp batter into the pan. Top batter with a disc of the almond filling then cover the top with more batter. Allow to cook for two minutes then flip and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, until both sides are golden brown and edges are cooked.
5)Repeat the process with the rest of the batter.
6) Mix the icing sugar, water and vanilla extract together. Drizzle over the pancake stack, top with a chocolate egg and enjoy!