What’s the best way to transition from sweltering summer to fantastic fall? Well, by embracing the best seasonal culinary ingredients, of course. We can’t get enough of crisp apples and spicy cinnamon to ring in autumn the right way. You’re sure to love our harvest twist on classic homemade pancakes — applesauce hot cakes. We’ll walk you through the recipe, plus offer some fun toppings to really make your brunch stand out. Flip-flip-hooray!
What You’ll Need:
- Whisk
- Measuring cups
- Mixing bowls
- Cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet
- Spatula
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 large brown eggs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- One stick of unsalted butter, solid (for skillet)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Ground cinnamon for garnish
- 1 teaspoon pink salt
- Maple syrup
Instructions:
Now that you’ve assembled all of the necessary kitchen gadgets and delicious ingredients, it’s time to tackle the recipe itself.
Step #1: Wonderful Whisking
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda until evenly combined.
Step #2: Careful Combination
In the same bowl, add the eggs, milk, applesauce, and melted butter. Whisk until roughly combined; it’s ideal if batter is still a little bit lumpy.
Step #3: Just Heat It
On the stove top, heat cast iron skillet over medium heat. Rub inside the pan (bottom and sides) with a stick of butter.
Step #4: Perfect Pancakes
Add about a 1/2 cup of the batter to your pan, leaving a couple inches between pancakes. Cook for a couple minutes, until bubbles appear on the top. Then, flip and cook for another two to three minutes. Repeat as necessary, adding extra butter between batches so your flapjacks don’t stick.
Step #5: Great Garnishes
Serve with classic maple syrup and some freshly ground cinnamon for a basic pancake. If you want something a bit more extreme, simply keep reading for some elevated garnish twists.
Tantalizing Toppings
Now that you’ve mastered the incredible base flapjacks, up your breakfast game to the next level with some topping twists. We love a good theme, and a natural extension of our fall focus is a caramel apple topper. Simply melt butter over high medium-heat, add sliced apples and brown sugar and mix until combined. Reduce for about five minutes and you have the ultimate indulgent topper.
Cinnamon sticks are another way to embrace the autumnal vibe. Simply shave some fresh ground cinnamon onto the top of your pancake stack then place the stick there as well. It serves as more of a garnish but is very aesthetically pleasing. The addition of homemade whipped cream ramps up this dish to pure decadence.
For something on the quicker side, we recommend adding some toasted pecans or walnuts. They pair well with the cinnamon and apple flavors, plus they add an interesting textural element to a generally soft and fluffy dish. We also like how pork breakfast sausage pairs with apples, so consider serving that as a side dish or unique topping option.
