Sweet Pinyon Griddle Cakes with Chia Berry Jam Recipe

During pinyon season, you sometimes see sweet or savory pancakes using these pine nuts. At times, they are folded into a batter whole. Other times, they’re ground into a flour, as they are here, to create almost buttery-rich cakes. Instead of supplementing the cakes with wheat flour the way people commonly do now, these honey-sweetened cakes are made almost exclusively with the pine nuts and just a little bit of cassava flour, which gives them a lightly springy texture and helps them hold their shape.

To quickly thicken a berry jam to serve alongside, I reach for another regional staple: desert chia seeds. It’s okay to use store-bought pine nuts and chia seeds here.

This recipe comes from chef Sean Sherman’s new cookbook, Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America. Buy the book here. It can also be found in the article “These Are the Best Wines to Drink This Winter.”

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Reprinted with permission from 'Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North' America' by Sean Sherman with Kate Nelson and Kristin Donnelly © 2025 by Sean Sherman. Photographs copyright © 2025 by David Alvarado. Illustrations copyright © 2025 by Jimmy Dean Horn Jr. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

For the Jam

2 cups local berries, such as serviceberries, currants, or thimbleberries (or raspberries), fresh or frozen

2 tbsp desert chia seeds or other chia seeds

1 tsp rose hip powder

1 to 3 tsp warm honey, as needed

pinch of sea salt

For the Cakes

1 cup pinyon pine nuts, or other pine nuts

¼ cup water

1 tbsp honey

¼ tsp fine sea salt

¼ cup cassava flour

3 tbsp sunflower oil

Make the jam: In a medium saucepan, cook the berries over medium heat, stirring frequently and mashing with a spoon for about 5 minutes, or until they start to burst and break down. Stir in the chia seeds and rose hip powder, and the jam will start to thicken quickly as the chia seeds hydrate. Add the honey 1 tsp at a time, and stir. Taste between each addition and add more as needed. Let cool. Add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavor. You’ll have about 1 cup of jam. Transfer to a bowl to serve immediately or to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Make the cakes: In a food processor, combine the pinyon pine nuts, water, honey, and salt and purée until smooth. Add the cassava flour and pulse to form a thick, spoonable batter. If the batter seems too thick or dry, pulse in a little more water 1 tsp. at a time.

In a large, well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. For each cake, scoop about 2 tbsp of batter into the oil, allowing the batter to spread and form mini pancakes. Working in batches as needed, cook the cakes for about 3 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom, then flip and cook just until the other side is browned.

Divide among plates and serve with the berry jam.

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Sweet Pinyon Griddle Cakes with Chia Berry Jam