Tik Tok Mini Pancake Cereal Recipe (Oven/Baked)

Mini pancake cereal recipe baked in the oven and cut onto dime-size bites to be enjoyed with butter, maple syrup, and any fruits of your choice. Unlike the Tik Tok version, it can be cooked unattended, saving you much time and hair-pulling. You can enjoy them soft or crispy/toasted. They are buttery, and one of the most delicious breakfast recipes ever-- just like our baked coconut flour pancakes.

Are you on Tik Tok? I confess that I'm not-- but that didn’t stop my teens from being on there and asking me about its latest trend, mini pancake cereal.

Although I thought the recipe looked fun at first, I got impatient at having to drop a zillion “dots” of pancake batter onto a hot nonstick pan and, most of all, at having to flip them all over. They are dime-size, as you may know. 

My impression is that I would be a senior citizen by the time I ran out of batter.

So I came up with a different way to make those mini pancakes. I made the batter, spread it onto a baking sheet, baked it in the oven, and then I used a piping tip the size of a dime to cut the pancake cereal out of the baked batter.

It was the only way that I could cook the pancakes unattended and go run my errands in the meantime.

Clever? Heck yeah!

I hope you try our easy recipe and enjoy it!

What is Pancake Cereal?

You may be asking, what’s a pancake cereal? It is actually pancakes at the size of a coin, varying in diameter from a dime (0.7 inches or about 18 millimeters) to quarter-sized (0.955 inches or 24 mm). In any case, it should be small enough to eat by the spoonful, just like cereal itself.

They are the next generation of the old silver dollar pancakes  https://noblepig.com/2015/06/perfect-silver-pancakes/– that means the pancake cereal is so small that they look like cereal. You can cook them on the stovetop or bake them in the oven like I did.

They are cute and may be fun for those who have a lot of time to spare but for busy people like me, they are a pain in the neck! To give you an idea, cooking a lot of mini pancakes takes way more time than cooking 2-3 regular sized pancakes. You end up cooking so many batches of the stuff.

That's why I came up with the idea of baking them instead, allowing them to cook unattended and with no flipping involved.

Your kid or teen can use a coin size piping tip or a mini cookie cutter to cut them without the risk of burning themselves or having to stand in front of a hot stovetop in the summertime.

Mini Pancake: Oven vs. Stovetop

The main differences between the viral TikTok mini pancake cereal and our version are the following:

1. The Original TikTok version is cooked on the stovetop, requiring flipping, while the baked pancakes are cooked in the oven, requiring cutting into  coin size.
2. The TikTok pancake cereal has a crispy top, while the baked version has a soft texture like a regular size pancake.
3. The baked version is less labor-intensive and can be cooked unattended, away from stovetop heat which is a no-no during the hot summer.
4. If you prefer a crispy texture, you can quickly toast the baked mini pancakes on the stovetop.

Why is TiK Tok Cereal Pancake Popular?

The trend started in early May 2020, featuring a pancake cereal recipe as one of its trending hashtags.

Similar to dalgona coffee (or whipped coffee), people started making pancake cereal at home to save time and rescue joy amid the current world health crisis. It is a cute breakfast idea, especially for the young and for those who want to entertain their kids.

How to Serve

There is more than one way to eat it! The most common ways are:

1. to place all the mini pancakes in a bowl, top with a pat of butter, and drizzle with maple syrup or honey-- which is similar to how you’d serve a stack of standard-size pancakes.
2. to serve pancake cereal in a bowl and pour in milk, similar to how you’d prepare a bowl of cereal. Some add-ins are berries and banana slices.
3. a mix of both above: garnish the mini pancakes with butter and syrup and then pour in some milk. I bet it makes the best of both worlds, especially for the indecisive like me. 

Reasons to Make These Oven Pancakes

Here are a few reasons why you should consider making these cereal pancakes:

1. It’s fun yet less time-consuming than the original TikTok version!
   You get the TikTok viral pancake dish but without all the hassle involved. If you have a lot of time on your hands, you may go for the original way of making them on the stovetop. But if you have to homeschool your kids due to the current health situation or have to resume your activities, our oven version is for you!
2. The recipe is quite easy and delish, making a satisfying breakfast that you can make ahead.
   It takes about 5 minutes to mix in the ingredients by hand or blend them in the blender. Then you can either pour onto a baking sheet and bake right away, or you can make the batter ahead, refrigerate covered, and bake when it is time to eat. You can also prepare the pancake cereal and freeze it for later use. Just place them frozen onto a lined baking sheet and heat at 350 F for about 10 minutes or until heated through. Or  heat in the microwave, covered with a paper towel,  for about 30 seconds or until hot.
3. This mini pancake recipe actually makes delicious pancakes!
   Even if you don’t make cereal pancake out of this recipe, you can cut into squares and pile them up to eat as regular oven-baked pancakes,  like our coconut flour pancakes. The batter results in light, fluffy pancakes with a pillowy interior. For a crispy exterior, toast them quickly with melted butter in a nonstick skillet heated on the stovetop over medium-high heat until the exterior is lightly golden. 

Ingredients and Substitutions

Make them with only 6 ingredients as follows:

Whole Milk or Half-and-Half

Use either whole milk or half-and-half for more flavorful mini pancakes – because fat is flavor! 

But can you use low-fat or reduced-fat milk instead? Yes, but keep in mind you’ll have less flavorful pancakes.

How about non-dairy milk like almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, or oat milk? You can use any of those milks mentioned above without altering texture. But  it still may impact flavor especially if a plant-based milk with “strong” flavor such as coconut or oat milk.

Sugar

If you want to, you may use ½ cup of sugar with 1 cup of monk fruit or other baking sugar substitute for making them keto or sugar-free.

Egg

Egg must be at room temp when used to make baked goods since we are making these pancakes in the oven.

What can you use instead of eggs if you have allergies?

Yes! You can potentially replace 1 egg with either ¼ cup of mashed bananas or ¼ cup apple sauce. 

Unsalted butter

If you use a quality butter that contains more dairy and less water such as Irish or other European butter, it’ll make our cereal pancakes more delish!

Can I use oil instead?

Yes! You can use whatever vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, canola or peanut oil work instead because they are more neutral in flavor. Our recipe asks for 4 tablespoons which is ¼ cup of butter. Use about 3 tablespoon of oil to replace ¼ cup of butter.

Baking Powder

It is the leavening agent that will make the batter rise, resulting in fluffy pancakes.

All-Purpose Flour

Although we use all-purpose flour, you may use gluten-free all-purpose flour, whole wheat or even almond flour.

Substitute 1 cup gluten-free flour for 1 cup of all-purpose flour.

Because pancakes made with whole wheat flour would be quite dense, the best advice is to use half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat in the recipe.

As for almond flour, the proportion would be about 1:1. That means, 1 cup all-purpose = 1 cup of blanched almond flour. However, the recipe will require more eggs or a little more baking powder and perhaps less time in the oven. It would have to be tested! I would use one extra egg or an extra ½ to 1 teaspoon of baking powder in the recipe if replacing all-purpose flour with blanched almond flour.

Tools to Make Baked Pancake Cereal

Unlike the stovetop version that requires a small piping tip and bag or a sauce or squeeze bottle, a nonstick pan, and a spatula, chopsticks, or tongs to flip the pancakes, our baked version uses the following tools:

• mixing bowl or a blender,
• baking sheet,
• small cookie cutter (you can use different shapes for a fun look). If cutting the mini pancakes as small as a dime size, you may use a mini piping tip.

How to Make Mini Cereal Pancake

Here are the basic steps to make this pancake cereal recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F(219 degrees C). Spray with cooking spray or grease with butter a 13-inch (33 cm) baking sheet.
2. Make the pancake batter (about 5 minutes)
   Either whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and sugar) with the wet ingredients (milk, eggs, melted butter) or blend everything in the blender until homogeneous. Pour the batter into the greased baking sheet. PIC. 1
3. Let batter rest (for 10 minutes).
4. Bake -- place the baking sheet in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or let batter bake until set. PIC. 2
5. Cut -- Let it cool and then use either a piping tip or a mini cookie cutter to cut into mini pancakes, about ¾- inch (1,9 cm). PICS. 3 to 5 
6. Serve – place pancake cereal in a bowl and serve with a pat of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup and/or with milk and fruits.

Note: if desired, toast the mini pancakes to achieve a crispy top. For this, heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, melt a small amount of butter or spray cooking spray on the bottom of the skillet, and toast the mini pancakes until golden brown, about 1 minute. PIC. 6 Then serve!

Variations

You can add other ingredients to the pancake batter such as:

• Chocolate Chips -- Add about ¼ cup mini chocolate chips to the batter after mixing all the ingredients and, most definitely, after blending them in the blender.
• Funfetti – instead of adding to the batter, serve mini pancakes with funfetti on top.
• Berries – it would be easier to cut them if berries are mashed before adding to the batter. Or if serving as a topping for the pancake cereal.  

Troubleshooting

FAQ: Pancake Cereal Ingredients

Can I use a pancake mix to make pancake cereal instead?

Yes! Take a look at the pancake mix package to adapt recipe to the oven.

FAQ: Pancake Making Techniques

Can I use this pancake recipe to make regular-sized pancakes instead?

Yes! After baking the batter, cut into squares instead.

FAQ: Pancake Cereal Storage

Can you make pancake batter ahead?

Yes! Make it one day ahead, and store in the fridge until you are ready to bake the pancake cereal. You can also prepare the pancake cereal, cut, and freeze in a single layer for a later use. Store into sealable plastic bags. Just place frozen pancakes onto a lined baking sheet and heat for about 8-10 minutes at 350 F or until heated through, or heat, covered with paper towel, in the microwave for about 30 seconds or until hot.

How long does pancake batter last?

For up to 3 days in the fridge (place into an airtight container or plastic bag)..

Can you freeze and reheat it?

Yes! Place cool pancakes into an airtight container or Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat as follows:

• Stovetop: Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, reduce the temperature to medium-low and melt 1 tablespoon of butter or spray with cooking spray. Add the pancakes and toss them until crispy and golden brown.
• Oven: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper and arrange the pancakes in one single layer. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the pancakes have heated through.
• Microwave: Heat on a plate, covered with a paper towel, for about 30-60 seconds or until hot. Eat right away!

Other breakfast recipes:

• Strawberry pancakes
• Pão de queijo
• French toast
• Fried eggs
• Omelette recipe
• Starbuck's breakfast egg bites
• Breakfast egg cups
• Boiled eggs
• Steak and eggs

PIN & ENJOY!

 

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