Apple Crisp Pancakes

One lonely apple sitting on my kitchen cabinet, just waiting for something. But what? I managed to eat two of his friends slathered in peanut butter, stewed another to go on top of a pork chop, and there he lay, all alone. When I bought the apple and his brethren, I didn't realize that they were tart baking apples, which makes them not very munchable unless you like making pucker faces and losing feeling in your tongue. I really only do my apple baking during the fall/winter because of apple season and there is just something about apples, cinnamon, and cool weather. Apple dumplings in summer are a little awkward. So what to do with a springtime baking apple?


I see the apple this morning, and my thought process went something like this: Hmm....breakfast. Pancakes. Oh, apple! Apple crisp sounds so good....wait, but not for breakfast. Pancake...apple pancake! With nutmeg and cinnamon! Apple crisp pancake! We have a winner!

Apple Crisp Pancakes

1 medium apple, chopped
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar (Didn't try brown sugar, but I bet it would be really tasty!)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (this is my best guess for the nutmeg and cinnamon...I didn't actually measure)
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cup milk
4 tbsp cooking oil

Topping:
3/4 cup old fashion oats
1 tbsp brown sugar

First, chop the apples very small. Not quite minced, but they need to be smaller than bite-sized, like so:

Mix together all of the dry ingredients until everything is well-incorporated, then add the wet ingredients. Make sure everything is wet, but the batter should still be a little lumpy.

(I didn't take a picture until about 3 pancakes in because I'm scatterbrained. You should have more batter than this.)

Your method of cooking is entirely up to you. My father, the Supreme God of Pancakes, does his on a griddle. I do not own a griddle (and to be honest, living by myself, I've never needed one), so I cook my pancakes one-by-one in my nonstick 10-inch skillet. I set my temperature to a little less than medium (3-4 if your stove uses numbers), let it warm up, add some nonstick cooking spray after it's warm, and add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of batter (once again, I don't typically measure...just a guess), and let it cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Before you flip, sprinkle some of the chopped apple into the batter. Once the apple is nicely nestled in the batter, flip and let the other side cook for 2-3 minutes.

While the pancakes do their pancake thing, add a tiny bit of oil to a small, hot skillet and a handful of oats. Toss the oats for a minute or two until they are nice and toasted (you'll smell them), take them off the heat, and add a tablespoon or so of brown sugar.

 Once the pancakes are cooked, transfer them to a plate, butter the tops, and sprinkle with the oatmeal/brown sugar mixture and any leftover apples. Top with your favorite syrup.

No more apples for me until October! (Ha! Who am I kidding? I like apples too much.)