Cinnamon-Apple Pancakes

Pre kids I definitely thought of pancakes as a weekend brunch treat. I took down my fair share of them at The Cowgirl in the West Village. Our first apartment in NYC was right above it and I think the waitress could see the hungover look in our eyes on certain days and would order up the extra, EXTRA big pancake stack from the chef for us. Cowgirl, I love you and I miss you and I want to beam myself into one of your too tight benches and have pancakes with a blended margarita RIGHT NOW.

Now with kids I find myself making pancakes at least every weekend, and often that batter or craving spills over into the weekdays as well. There are a million ways to do pancakes, and also a million ways to make them a vehicle for things you might want your kids to eat more of - yogurt, protein, oats, nuts, veg, fruit, etc. Penny and I worked up this recipe on the fly with apples that needed to be used, and it turned out great from the first go round. All the ingredients are pantry staples. The apples and cinnamon lend so much depth and natural sweetness to these pancakes, and the batter is fluffy and light. No need for syrup. These were a huge hit and requested two days in a row. Bonus: the batter also keeps well overnight.

Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

Apples: 

1 Tbl Butter

3 Small Apples, peeled + small diced

½ tsp Kosher Salt

1 Tbl Cinnamon

1 Tbl Honey

1 Tbl Water

Batter: 

2 Eggs

1 Tbl Honey 

½ Cup Unsweetened Applesauce 

1 Cup Milk (nut, soy or coconut milk would also work)

1 ¼ Cups AP Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

¼ tsp Salt

1. Heat butter in nonstick pan over medium heat. 

2. Add apples, salt + cinnamon and stir to combine. 

3. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the honey and water and cover to cook and soften an additional 3-5 minutes until starting to soften but still holding shape.

4. Meanwhile, combine all other ingredients in a large bowl. 

5. Add cooked apples to batter and combine. 

6. Wipe out the pan you used for the apples. Melt butter and scoop pancakes into the pan (use an ice cream scoop if you have it for less mess) and cook until golden brown on each side.