I love experimenting with pancake flavors. In my brain, a plain ol’ pancake looks like a wonderful blank canvas. I’ve made all kinds of pancakes, from chocolate to gingerbread to banana-pecan. Then, one cold winter morning, I had some green apples in my fruit basket begging to be cooked, but my kiddos were begging for pancakes. Instead of creating a cooked apple topping, I decided to try adding thin apple slices to the batter. Hey, it works for blueberries. And lo and behold, it works for apples too! My kids couldn’t get enough of these yummy, cinnamony pancakes surrounding tart, soft green apples. Perfection in a pancake!
ADD-IN
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch slices
Cinnamon for sprinkling
DRY INGREDIENTS
½ cup almond flour
2 TBSP coconut flour, sifted
½ tsp baking soda
Pinch of sea salt
½ tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp nutmeg
WET INGREDIENTS
3 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ cup coconut milk
Coconut oil for the griddle
Makes 15 pancakes
Prep Day:
Sprinkle the apple slices with a little cinnamon on both sides.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and blend with a hand mixer or whisk until fully combined and smooth.
Heat a griddle to medium-high. Coat the griddle with coconut oil.
Place some of the apple rings, evenly spaced about 3-inches apart, on the hot griddle. Cook for about 1 minute or until lightly browned.
Flip the apple slices over, and pour ¼ cup of the pancake batter over the apple rings. Start pouring in the center of the apple rings, and let the batter spread evenly over the edges.
Cook the pancakes until the edges are set and the batter has bubbles.
Flip each pancake carefully, and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until cooked through.
Transfer the pancakes to wire racks and let cool completely.
Freeze the cooled pancakes in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag until needed.
Serving Day:
Thaw the frozen pancakes at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can also thaw them in the microwave in 15-second increments, just until softened.
Heat the thawed pancakes in the microwave or toaster oven until heated through, and serve.
