Happy Friday! This week, Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii celebrated its 10th anniversary! I would love to visit Aulani someday, but until then I’ll be enjoying a taste of Hawaii at home. Inspired by the breakfast served at the resort, I’ve created these Macadamia Nut Pancakes! These buttermilk pancakes are topped with a creamy vanilla sauce, caramel drizzle, and macadamia nuts! Perfect with a glass of POG juice!
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Typically, I focus on desserts, but with the rich and delicious sauces, these pancakes basically are a dessert! There are three separate parts to this recipe–the pancakes, the vanilla sauce, and the caramel sauce. I recommend starting with the sauces so that once you make the pancakes, you’re ready to serve.
To start, I decided to toast my macadamia nuts since I purchased them raw. Toasting brings out the flavor a bit, but is an optional step. If you do want to toast your nuts, place about 1/2 cup of them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 F until they’re golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Let the macadamia nuts cool before chopping them.
To make the caramel sauce, combine the water, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and then bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until the mixture is medium amber colored, swirling or shaking the pan as needed. Stirring constantly, pour in about ⅓ of the cream. The mixture will bubble. Once the bubbles have subsided, stir in another ⅓ of the cream. After the bubbles subside, stir in the remaining cream. Reduce the heat to medium low and stir constantly until the cream is incorporated, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a heat-safe bowl or liquid measuring cup and let cool.
For the vanilla sauce, I used vanilla paste since I didn’t have any vanilla beans. I actually preferred using vanilla paste as it has the same great vanilla taste and look as the beans but is a lot easier to store. If you don’t have vanilla paste or beans, you could substitute a good quality vanilla extract.
To make the vanilla sauce, combine the cream and the vanilla paste in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk the egg yolks and the sugar together in a separate bowl. Whisk a couple spoonfuls of the hot cream into the egg mixture and then add the egg mixture back into the remaining cream. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until thickened slightly, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl or liquid measuring cup and let cool.
For the pancakes, whisk together the flour sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, eggs, and butter and whisk until combined. Stir in the macadamia nuts and let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes.
While the batter is resting, heat the oven to 325 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat a cast iron or non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Turn the heat to medium low and spoon about 1/3 cup of batter into the skillet. My cast iron skillet fit about one pancake comfortably, but if you’re using a larger skillet or griddle, you might be able to fit multiple pancakes. Cook until the batter bubbles through. Flip and cook until golden brown. Transfer cooked pancake to the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter until all pancakes are made.
To assemble the pancakes, place three pancakes on a plate. Spoon the vanilla sauce over the pancakes, letting it run down the sides. Drizzle lines of caramel across the vanilla sauce. Top with a handful of chopped macadamia nuts.
If you’re looking to complete your meal, you can serve your pancakes with a glass of fresh POG juice–a Hawaiian favorite! POG juice is combination of passion fruit, orange juice, and guava juice and is a delicious and refreshing fruit drink. I was able to find Goya brand passion fruit and guava juices at my local grocery store but there are other brands available. To make the POG juice, combine 4 cups passion fruit juice, 4 cups orange juice, and 4 cups guava juice in a gallon size container. If you don’t have a large enough container, you can cut the recipe in half to make a little under a half gallon of juice.
Enjoy this Hawaiian inspired breakfast! Happy 10th Anniversary Aulani!
Disney’s Aulani Macadamia Nut Pancakes
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
- ½ cup water
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
Vanilla Sauce
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 egg yolks
Macadamia Nut Pancakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup macadamia nuts, toasted and chopped
- vegetable oil for the pan
Instructions
Caramel Sauce
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Combine the water, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat.
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Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Then bring the mixture to a boil.
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Cook, without stirring, until the mixture is medium amber colored, about 6 minutes. Gently shake or swirl the pan as needed.
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Stirring constantly, pour in about ⅓ of the cream. The mixture will bubble. Once the bubbles have subsided, stir in another ⅓ of the cream. After the bubbles subside, stir in the remaining cream.
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Reduce the heat to medium low and stir constantly until the cream is incorporated, about 3 minutes.
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Transfer to a heat-safe bowl and let cool.
Vanilla Sauce
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Place the cream in a small saucepan and stir in the vanilla paste. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.
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Add two spoonfuls of the hot cream to the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
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Pour the egg mixture into the remaining cream and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
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Transfer to a heat-proof bowl to cool.
Macadamia Nut Pancakes
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Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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Add the buttermilk, eggs, and butter and whisk together just until combined. It’s okay if there are some lumps.
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Stir in the macadamia nuts.
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Let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes.
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Heat a cast iron skillet, non-stick frying pan, or griddle over low heat for about 5 minutes.
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Add a tablespoon of the vegetable oil into the skillet and turn the heat to medium low.
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Add about ⅓ cup of the batter to the skillet and cook until the batter begins to bubble. Flip and cook until golden. Transfer cooked pancake to the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.
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Repeat with remaining batter until all pancakes are cooked.
Assembly
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Place three pancakes on a plate.
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Spoon the vanilla sauce over the pancakes.
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Drizzle the caramel sauce in lines over the vanilla sauce.
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Add a handful of chopped macadamia nuts to the top.
Recipe Notes
buttermilk pancakes adapted from NY Times
POG Juice
Enjoy a taste of Hawaii at home with this delicious POG juice–a mix of passion fruit, orange, and guava juices!
Ingredients
- 4 cups passion fruit juice
- 4 cups orange juice
- 4 cups guava juice
Instructions
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Combine the passion fruit, orange, and guava juices in a gallon size pitcher or container.
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Chill the juice in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Recipe Notes
recipe courtesy of the Disney Parks