Apple Topped Pancakes

With there being 31 days in October, today marks the halfway point for LLN in VeganMoFo!

I’m happy to say that I haven’t been very tempted this month to stray from the plant based diet that Roo and I decided to do.  However, it never felt like we were really alone in this, as The VeganMoFo community is incredibly informative and supportive.  There are so many people who are eating plant based meals for the same reasons Roo and I are.  Also, I came to learn that the authors of some of the most popular vegan blogs, are actually more accessible than others (omnivore) that I have read. @Mama_Pea and @IsaChandra of Peas and Thank You and Post Punk Kitchen, have always replied back to my questions on Twitter, and get this, were nice about it.  While I’ve received replies back from authors of other types of blogs, the majority, have been from the vegans, who responded, every time.

I can honestly say that I can only hope my blog can become even half as popular as theirs.  But it should be noted that their work ethic of always getting back to the people who visit their blogs, is something to be admired, blog stats aside.

On that note, this morning I saw that @IsaChandra tweeted her Apple Pie Pancake recipe.  I had just rolled out of bed, fed the cats (because they wouldn’t let me get onto my laptop without a proper “exchange”)

and in a pre-coffee haze, started to scroll through my emails and twitter account.

“Apple pie for breakfast?” I asked Roo.

“When have I not wanted pie for breakfast?” he replied.

It was true, how could I not make it.

Unfortunately when I went through my cupboards I realized that I didn’t have everything.  Not to be one to endanger the shoppers of Market Basket with my pre-coffee state, I hoped that I could get away with adapting the recipe a bit.  While I was nervous, as pancakes, in my opinion, are a hybrid of baking and cooking, with baking being oh-so-finicky in adjustments, and cooking, the forgiving, almost begging to be done on the fly, I figured if that they didn’t work out, Roo could defrost the sweet potato spice cake I had squirreled away in the freezer.

People, let this be the reason to do your breakfast making pre-coffee.  It worked.  And it was awesome.

The apple topping wasn’t oh-so-sweet that you felt like you needed an insulin shot after (which I has been a common complaint from my friends who still worship the Ihop every weekend…why???).  There were even hints of citrus, as the apples were able to cook down into the apple juice, simmering, stewing, creating an incredibly lush, soft, warm, reduction-like topping.

The pancakes were slightly nutty from the ground flax seed, and full of spice, as I piled on the cinnamon, nutmeg and spice into the flour-mix.  I also loved that in Isa’s original recipe, she mixes the apple cider vinegar into the almond milk, which creates a pseudo-buttermilk, if you will.  This added to the lightness of the pancake, which I just loved.

If you’re looking for a great breakfast to properly introduce you to fall, this is it.  Grab your apples and start peeling!

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Adapted from Post Punk Kitchen

Makes 6 pancakes

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Ingredients

For the Apple Topping

2 apples, peeled and diced into easily edible pieces

Half teaspoon ground cinnamon

Half cup of apple juice

Half tablespoon of cornstarch

For the pancakes

Half cup unsweetened almond milk (or other unsweetened non dairy milk)

1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds

Three quarters of a cup of white whole wheat flour (or all purpose flour if that’s what you have)

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Half teaspoon of ground ginger

One eighth of a teaspoon of ground nutmeg

Quarter teaspoon of fine sea salt (I use Diamond)

1 tablespoon of mild tasting olive oil

One third of a cup of apple juice

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of maple syrup

Grease for your pancake pan (I like 1 tablespoon of olive with 1 teaspoon of butter, like Earth Balance, melted and then swished around to coat the pan)

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Equipment

One medium mixing bowl

A 1 to 2 cup measuring cup (Like a pyrex with a spout that can sit on the counter and hang out)

A whisk

A spatula

A Quarter cup measuring cup, cleaned and saved for batter pouring

A sharp knife

A medium pot (about 3 quarts)

A large saute pan

A cookie sheet, warmed in a 250F oven to keep your pancakes warm

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Place a cookie sheet onto an oven rack, in the middle position of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 250F, to keep your pancakes warm.

Now start with your topping, as while it cooks, you can prep the pancakes.

In a medium pot, add the apples, cinnamon, apple juice,and cornstarch.  Mix till combined with a spatula.  Place on a burned over medium heat.  Bring the ingredients to a boil, then lower the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 20 more minutes.  Basically by the time you’re done with the pancakes, the apples should also be fork tender.  Remove from heat and serve generously over pancakes.

While your apples cook down, pour the almond milk, apple cider vinegar and ground flax seeds into your measuring cup.  Stir ingredients together till combined.  Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt.  Whisk the ingredients together till combined.  Scoop out a little well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the milk mixture, olive oil, apple juice, vanilla extract and maple syrup.  Stir till just combined (a couple lumps are ok).  It’s going to look like a mess at first, but it’ll come together.  Set aside.

Add your preferred grease to your pancake pan (some people are devout to oil, some think if you don’t use butter (like Earth Balance), you’re insane, and some, like me, use both, because they love both).  Place the pan on a burner over medium.  When the grease starts to shimmer, use your quarter cup measuring cup to scoop out the batter, and pour it into the pan.  My pan can fit 3 pancakes at a time, so this is what I work with.

When the pancake starts to bubble (and you can peek to see how brown the side faced down in the grease is with a spatula, I won’t tell anyone) and the sides start to set, flip your pancake.  This takes about 2 to 3 minutes.  Cook the second side for about 2 to 3 minutes more, depending on how crazy-hot (yes, I said it) your burner is.  I always peek at the side face down on the pan, so I can control how brown the pancakes get.  There is no shame in this.  Seriously.  When the pancakes are done, set aside on your cookie sheet in the oven, to keep warm.

Repeat the above process until you run out of batter.

When ready to eat, serve with the apple topping.