Ever had a monte cristo sandwich? You’ve never had one like this – these Monte Cristo Pancakes have pancakes instead of bread, with a filling of ham, cheese, and raspberry jam.
I’ve had quite a few phenomenal monte cristos in my day. There’s something about the salty/savory combined with the sweet that draws me to the dish, and I’ve ordered it at many brunches – the sandwich at Milk in Barcelona is amazing, and Dirty Oscar’s Annex in Tacoma, Washington also makes a great one.
Traditionally, a monte cristo is a sandwich of ham, a good melting cheese (typically gruyere), and jam. The whole sandwich is then dipped in a french toast-like egg wash, and grilled to melt the cheese and griddle the bread. Sometimes, it gets a good sprinkle of powdered sugar as well.
YUM, I know. It’s pretty heavenly, and the blend of flavors is nothing short of irresistible. I’m a big proponent of salty with my sweet, so it’s totally my kind of dish. So…now imagine that amazingness, and replace the bread with PANCAKES. I did it, and it rocked.
I love coming up with recipes for Krusteaz, because they’re products make it so easy that I can go a little crazy with how I use them. This use for their pancakes may be my favorite thing I’ve come up with yet. The pancakes come together so fast, and once they’re made, it’s just a matter of assembling the sandwiches, dipping, and griddling.
The egg wash is SO simple – just milk, egg, and cinnamon. You have to be careful as you dip the constructed sandwiches in the egg wash, but it’s not too difficult to keep together. A few minutes on the grill melts the cheese just enough and just barely toasts the outside of the pancakes.
I served these with a quick dusting of powdered sugar and some maple syrup. Also, these keep amazingly well. I made these during the day and kept the rest for my roommate to have after she got home from work. 45 seconds in the microwave and they were as good as they were right off the griddle! My kind of recipe.
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Monte Cristo Pancakes
Ingredients
For the pancakes
- 1½ cups Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix
- 1 cup water
For the filling
- 4 slices gruyere or good melting cheese
- 4 slices ham thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons raspberry jam
For egg wash
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Heat pancake griddle or pan to 375°F. Lightly grease griddle. Whisk together pancake mix and water. Batter will be slightly lumpy. (Do not overmix.) Let batter stand 2 minutes. Pour slightly less than 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle. You should have 8 pancakes.
- Cook pancakes 1- 1 1/4 minutes per side, or until golden brown, turning only once. Let pancakes cool.
- Spread 1/2 tablespoon of raspberry jam on half of the pancakes. Top the raspberry jam with a slice of cheese and a slice of ham. Top with another pancake.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and cinnamon. Carefully dip one pancake sandwich into the egg mixture, coating both sides. Place on the hot skillet and cook for 3 minutes on each side, or until the outsides are golden brown and the cheese is melted. Repeat with all pancakes. Serve warm, dusted with powdered sugar.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
February 3, 2016 at 4:22 amThese pancakes are genius, Rachel! I really want to reach through my screen and grab this plate for breakfast. Monte Cristos are one of my favorite sandwiches, so I can only imagine how delicious this must taste in pancake form! Yum!
Rachel says
February 3, 2016 at 11:42 amThank you Gayle!! They’re one of my faves too :) you’d love these!
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven says
February 3, 2016 at 4:49 amUm, no way. You did NOT just make monte cristos into breakfast pancake form. My mind is BLOWN, Rachel! These pancakes are every single kind of awesome! Drooling over here. :)
Rachel says
February 3, 2016 at 11:41 amThank you, Sarah!!
Jen | Baked by an Introvert says
February 3, 2016 at 7:33 amI love this! The whole sweet and savory concept is genius! These pancakes are mouthwatering.
Mary Frances says
February 3, 2016 at 9:15 amRachel, these look so good!! Fantastic idea and beautiful pictures.
Mir says
February 3, 2016 at 9:37 amYou get the creative food award today! I’ve seen this as a sandwich, of course, but never gorgeously presented in pancake form. Wow!
Amanda says
February 3, 2016 at 12:02 pmWhat a creative and delicious idea! And all that melty cheese. Yum! This is brilliant!
Stacey @ The Sugar Coated Cottage says
February 3, 2016 at 12:18 pmThese are amazing, as soon as I saw the post I got a huge smile on my face like a kid on Christmas morning. You’re right the sweet and salty combo is amazing and I love that you used raspberries! Pinned. Take care.
Rachel says
February 3, 2016 at 12:29 pmThanks for your sweet comment and the pin, Stacey!! :D
Medha (Whisk and Shout) says
February 3, 2016 at 1:15 pmLove the idea of savory pancakes- so yum!
Melanie @ Melanie Cooks says
February 3, 2016 at 1:20 pmYum, what a unique creation! I love monte-cristo sandwiches, and the pancakes make the best “bread” ever!
Beth @ bethcakes says
February 3, 2016 at 1:30 pmOmg, what a great idea to use pancakes!! I don’t know that I’ve ever actually had a monte cristo sandwich, but I have got to try one now. Perfect brunch food! Pinned :)
Azu says
February 3, 2016 at 2:53 pmWhat a geat idea, using pancakes to make a savory dish! Pinned
marcie says
February 3, 2016 at 3:28 pmHonestly, I’ve never had a monte cristo sandwich and I have no idea why! The flavors sound amazing and I love sweet and savory. I need to give this a try!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
February 4, 2016 at 6:09 amWhat a creative idea! These pancakes look incredible!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
February 4, 2016 at 6:17 amMonte cristos are the jam, but using pancakes as the bread??! Seriously genius, girlfriend! These look unbelievably delicious! Drool fest over here! Cheers, dear! ;)
Jessica @ Jessica in the Kitchen says
February 4, 2016 at 7:44 amI love that you used pancakes as bread! SUCH an ingenious idea, and totally works for breakfast or breakfast for dinner!!
Monica says
February 4, 2016 at 12:23 pmOh gosh, I love this! : ) Looks so tasty and such a creative spin on a monte cristo!
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says
February 4, 2016 at 1:17 pmI’ve been thinking about these babies ever since you first sneak-peeked them on snapchat! They sound soooo good! I love Monte Cristos, and this is just even better!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
February 4, 2016 at 3:44 pmDrooling over here!
Kelly says
February 5, 2016 at 1:02 amThese pancakes are completely brilliant! I love the monte cristo spin – so creative and they look incredible!
karrie @ Tasty Ever After says
February 5, 2016 at 8:30 amJust when I thought a Monte Cristo sandwich couldn’t get any better, you made it waaaaaaay better. Genius to replace the bread with pancakes and totally makes sense since I usually eat one of these for brunch. Yummy :)