Apples and pancakes are a match made in heaven and these beauties are the delicious proof…
Today, we are making a batch of fluffy spiced buttermilk pancakes and topping them with caramelized apples. These flapjacks are sheer perfection and with fall right around the corner, they will be making a regular appearance on our weekend breakfast plans.
Let’s get started…
Begin by combining 3 peeled and diced apples with 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves and a pinch of salt in a large skillet.
Apples are so versatile and come a wide variety of flavors. If you like apples, but don’t want the flavor to be too strong, I would suggest using golden delicious or gala apples. If you really love apples and want the flavor to be strong and sweet, I would suggest using ambrosia or fuji apples. If you love apples, but prefer them more tart than sweet, then I would suggest using pink lady or granny smith apples. They ALL work great, but it is interesting how different their flavors can be. I am using fuji apples today. They are really sweet and quite firm, which helps them hold their shape during the cooking process.
Place the skillet over medium heat and bring the apples to a simmer while you make the pancake batter.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of buttermilk with 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1/3 cup of vegetable oil.
Add 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg and mix until just combined.
It’s totally fine for pancake batter to have a few lumps, so just mix until you no longer see any dry ingredients remaining.
Place a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and grease generously with butter. Once the skillet is warm, add 1/3 cup of pancake batter leaving a few inches between each portion.
Once the pancakes begin to look set around the edges and the top forms little bubbles, flip them and cook on the other side until the center of the pancakes feel springy and both sides are golden brown.
Continue simmering the apples until they are tender and lightly caramelized and then transfer the skillet off of the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of maple syrup.
Cover the apples until all of the pancakes are cooked and then it is time to assemble…
The only thing left to do is decide if you want a short stack or a tall one and then spoon a generous amount of spiced apples over all of them…
This recipe makes about 14 pancakes. I used a 1/3 cup scoop for the batter and this creates 6 inch wide pancakes.
The pancakes are fluffy, the apples are gooey, caramelized and warmly spiced and the 2 of them together are a pairing that needs to be consistently made. Once you start making these spiced apple pancakes, you may never stop.
Consider yourself warned…
Spiced Apple Pancakes
Ingredients
Spiced Buttermilk Pancake Batter
- 2 cups of buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
Spiced Apples
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 3 apples, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon of cloves
- a pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup of maple syrup
Instructions
Make the spiced apple topping…
- Place a large skillet over medium heat
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter, 3 peeled and diced apples, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves and a pinch of salt and bring to a low simmer
- Cook until the apples are tender
- Transfer the skillet off of the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of maple syrup
- Cover and set aside while you cook the pancakes
Make the pancakes…
- In a large bowl, whisk 2 cups of buttermilk, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1/3 cup of vegetable oil until combined
- In a separate bowl or mesh sifter, combine 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg and add to the buttermilk mixture
- Mix until just combined (do not over mix this batter! A few lumps are totally fine!)
- Place a griddle or flat skillet over medium heat and let it warm for 3-4 minutes
- Grease the pan with butter and drop 1/2 cup of batter leaving several inches between each pancake
- Cook until the edges are set and the top of the pancake is full of bubbles
- Carefully flip the pancakes and cook until the underside is golden brown
- Repeat until all of the batter has been cooked
Assemble the pancakes…
- Top the pancakes with the spiced apples and a dollop of whipped cream
- Enjoy!
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