Caramel Apple Pancakes

I had just purchased some caramel syrup from the coffee-flavoring section of the store to try as a cocoa-flavoring. Alyssa saw the caramel syrup and assumed it was for the apple pancakes I was making. What a great idea! We turned the apple pancakes into caramel apple pancakes! Our Best Bites has a recipe for buttermilk caramel syrup that would probably be fabulous with these pancakes if you want to make your syrup from scratch.

Caramel Apple Pancakes

2 tart, juicy apples (peeled and diced)
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs
2 cups (8 ½ ounces) all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Place apples in microwave-safe container, cover, and microwave on high for about 3 minutes or until apples are just tender. (If desired, add a splash of water or apple cider to the apples before microwaving.)

Beat the milk, butter, and egg lightly in a mixing bowl. Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon in a separate bowl and add them all at once to the first mixture, stirring just enough to dampen the flour. Stir in apples (drain if you added water—reserving the liquid to add to the batter if needed). Do not overmix.

Lightly butter or grease a griddle or frying pan and set over moderate heat until a few drops of cold water sprinkled on the pan form rapidly moving globules. Pour about ¼ cup-fuls onto griddle (I use an ice-cream scooper). Bake on the griddle until the cakes are full of bubbles on the top and the undersides are lightly browned. Turn with a spatula and brown the other sides. Place finished griddlecakes on a warm plate in a 200°F oven until you have enough to begin serving.

Serve with caramel syrup if desired. (These are also good with maple syrup.)

Griddlecake recipe adapted from: The Fannie Farmer Cookbook