Apple Cider Pancakes

Apple Pancakes and Apple Cider Syrup and Apple Chunks... Oh my!
I'm on a bit of an apple kick right now. You may have noticed.
I can't eat raw apples (or bananas)- something about the rawness I'm allergic to. So now that I've discovered a bunch of fun ways to eat them in baked goods, I'm all over it!
Chris and I decided to make breakfast for my parents yesterday morning. After some serious arm-twisting (hah), they gave up their Nutrisystem for the moment. The verdict: totally worth it!

Chris put the plate together- A+ for presentation!

Apple Buttermilk Pancakes

Adapted from Katie at the Kitchen Door and Sweet and Savory Tooth

Yield: a LOT of cupcakes (we're talkin' at least 2 dozen)

Ingredients:

Flour- 2 c

Sugar- 2 tbsp

Baking powder- 1 tsp

Baking soda- 1/2 tsp

Salt- 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon- 1 tsp

Nutmeg- 1/2 tsp

Allspice- 1/4 tsp

Buttermilk- 2 c

Regular milk- 1/2 c

Eggs- 2

Butter- 4 tbsp, melted and slightly cooled

Apples- 2, peeled, sliced, and cut into little chunks (we used Honey Crisp)

Directions:

1. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices until thoroughly combined. 

2. In a separate bowl, gently whisk eggs, then add buttermilk, regular milk, and butter. Mix until just combined, do not overmix!

3. Add wet ingredients to dry, then add apple chunks. The batter will be a little chunky, and that's okay! Let batter sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. Then heat up a griddle and have at it! 

If you don't know how to make pancakes... Click on the "Katie at the Kitchen Door" link. 

Apple Cider Syrup

Courtesy of Southern Food

Yield: More than enough to cover 2 dozen pancakes

Ingredients:

Butter- 1 tbsp

Apple cider- 2 c

Brown sugar- 1 c

Cinnamon sticks- 2

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. 

2. When butter stops foaming, add apple cider, brown sugar, and cinnamon sticks. 

3. Bring mix to a boil, and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, until reduced by half to about 1 to 1 1/4 c; this will take about 15 minutes.

4. Remove from heat; allow syrup to thicken as it cools, but don't let it cool for too long! Warm syrup is more important than thick syrup, in my opinion :) You can remove the sticks and serve them as garnish, as Chris did :)

Note: The apple chunks are Chris's family recipe. It calls for butter, apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon.