Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

With the bounty of apples that is currently gracing my kitchen, apples are on the brain. I made a batch of apple pancakes on Sunday morning that did NOT come out the way I wanted them to. They had great flavor, but the batter was way too dense. I was determined to try again until I got what I was looking for, so I searched again for a recipe that had different proportions (the one I made first called for 1 cup of flour to 1 cup of milk, and I had to add flour to thicken up the batter or else it ran everywhere which resulted in the dense consistency).

This recipe was absolutely a keeper. The pancakes were soft and light, and beautifully perfumed with cinnamon. The kitchen smelled amazing while this one was cooking! It smelled like fall, or what I imagine fall should smell like.

Light cinnamon kissed pancakes bathed in a warm apple maple syrup is happiness on a plate I believe. We served these up with some cheesy scrambled eggs and everyone left the table happy. My picky nearly 2 year old even liked the pancakes - though she ignored the apple.

I am looking forward to seeing how many more ways I can use apples and keep things interesting in the kitchen at the same time - here are a few recipes I have on my radar: Freezer Apple Pie Filling, Country Apple Fritter Bread, Apple Pie Bars, Apple Fritters, Apple Crescent Roses, Salted Caramel Apple Pie Biscuit Bites, Apple Pie Taquitos, Crock Pot Apple Butter, Cracker Barrel Copy Cat Fried Apples, Apple Pie Cupcakes, Apple Turnovers, Apple Crumb Muffins, Apple Pie Dumplings, Glazed Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread, Apple Cinnamon Rolls, Apple Crumb Cake, Apple Cinnamon Roll Muffins, Amish Apple Fritters, Apple Strudel, Apple Cider, Apple Pecan Feta Spinach Salad, Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Glazed Apple Cake, Apple Crisp Stuffed Baked Apples, Crockpot Honey Pork and Apples, Sage Apple Stuffed Pork Tenderloin in Bacon, Apple Cinnamon Skillet Pork Chops... I am starving all of a sudden. We'll see how many I get the chance to experience in the near future... fingers crossed I make it through at least half before I have to give up and turn the rest into applesauce or apple pie filling to freeze!

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes from Le Creme De La Crumb

Ingredients

Pancakes
¾ cup milk
1½ tablespoons vinegar
1 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons oil

Apple Topping
2 tablespoon butter
2 apples, peeled, cored, and diced into small bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
⅓ cup maple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat a griddle to medium / medium-high heat.
2. Place prepared apples along with other apple topping ingredients (except for vanilla) into a medium sized saucepan and set to medium high heat, bring to a simmer and reduce heat to allow to simmer on low while you prepare the pancakes.
3. Combine the milk with the vinegar in a bowl and set aside. Allow to rest at least 5 minutes.
4. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together in a large bowl; whisk to combine.
5. Add the egg and oil to the curdled milk and whisk to combine.
6. Gently add the wet ingredients in to the dry, whisking just until incorporated.
7. Spray cooking spray or add butter to the preheated griddle and pour about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of prepared batter in a circular shape. Cook about 2 - 3 minutes per side, or until edges appear to dry a little and bubbles appear. Flip and cook until golden on the other side as well.
8. You can place finished pancakes on a cookie sheet in an oven set to about 200 degrees to keep them warm while you finish preparing the rest if desired.
9. Stir the apple topping mixture while it cooks occasionally; cook until the apples are tender and the sauce is to your desired thickness (you can simmer it on higher heat if you want a thicker sauce, or allow to simmer at a low bubble if you prefer a thinner consistency). Remove from heat and add 1/2 tsp of vanilla just before serving.
10. Pour desired amount of apple topping over cinnamon pancakes and enjoy.