Coco's Pikelets

My most treasured Christmas present is a Dick Frizzell print called 'Hot Buttered II'. It was given to me by my late husband Mike. We had seen it in a gallery in Auckland while there on our honeymoon, and I loved it immediately. However it seemed a little frivolous to buy immediately after the wedding and following some ummming and ahhhing it remained unpurchased. So I was delighted (and surprised) to discover it under the Christmas tree a couple of months later. It has hung on the wall for a year now, and finally intrigue got the better of me and I decided it was time to make a batch of Coco's pikelets.

Pikelets are one of the first things I remember baking, being so quick to mix and cook, they are perfect for when you require a baked good that offers relatively instant gratification. I am looking forward to when Daisy is big enough to help make them - she already has her very own pikelet flipper in the shape of a ladybird that I couldn't resist buying. (I wonder if other babies already possess their own kitchenware?!)

I doubled the recipe above, factoring in that the first few pikelets rarely cook evenly and inevitably end up getting thrown out while you fiddle with the temperature of the element to get it just right. Of course this time they cooked perfectly from the start, and I ended up making more pikelets that we could possibly eat for afternoon tea. Nevermind, they are in the freezer to eat for breakfast sometime.

Coco's pikelets were delicious, especially topped with a spoonful of homemade strawberry and rhubarb jam and a little softly whipped cream. I think Mike would have liked them.