apple ring pancakes
Apple Ring Pancakes offer a delicious and creative way to enjoy breakfast by combining fluffy pancakes with fresh apple rings. Nutritious and versatile, this recipe is perfect for a satisfying start to your day, appealing to all ages with its delightful flavors and textures.
Ingredients
For the pancakes:
- ▢ 1 cup 240g plain yogurt
- ▢ 2 large eggs
- ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar
- ▢ 1 tablespoon melted butter
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ▢ 1 cup 125g flour, spooned and leveled (not scooped)
Additionally:
- ▢ 4 small apples 20oz/570g, a soft variety (I used Gala apples)
- ▢ Clarified butter or vegetable oil for frying
- ▢ Powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on the pancakes
Instructions
Make pancake batter:
- In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract, sugar, melted and cooled butter, salt, and baking powder. Whisk together until fully combined.
- Slowly add the flour, whisking constantly until just combined, but be careful not to overmix the batter. Set aside.
Prepare the apples:
- Peel the apples and remove the core using an apple corer or a sharp knife. Cut them into ⅓ inch (5-7 mm) slices and set aside. Avoid cutting thicker slices, as the apples won't soften properly.
Cook pancakes:
- Heat clarified butter or oil in a frying pan (preferably non-stick) over medium heat.
- Dunk each apple ring in the batter and place them in the pan. If there's excess batter in the center of the apple rings (where the hole is), use a small spoon to remove some – this will help the pancakes cook evenly without being raw in the middle. Cook over medium heat until browned on one side, then flip and cook until golden and fully cooked through. The pancakes should not feel too soft in the center, which indicates raw batter. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining apple rings.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar (once the pancakes have slightly cooled) or with vanilla or cinnamon sugar (while the pancakes are still warm).
- Enjoy!
Notes
How to Correctly Measure Flour: I’m using the “spoon and level method,” so 1 cup of flour in my recipes weighs 125g. Start by fluffing the flour by stirring it in the bag or container with a spoon. Next, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and sprinkle it in. Finally, sweep off the excess flour with the back of a knife. Adding too much flour to pancake batter can lead to dry and dense pancakes, so I recommend using a digital scale for perfect and consistent results.
The traditional recipe for these pancakes typically uses milk instead of yogurt. However, after trying yogurt as a substitute, I found they turned out so well that I won’t go back. The yogurt thickens the batter, eliminating the need for extra flour. This thick batter coats the apples perfectly, resulting in incredibly soft and fluffy pancakes. If you prefer a more traditional batter with milk, here are the ingredients (the preparation method remains the same): ¾ cup (180g) milk, 2 large eggs, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 ½ cups (190g) flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder.