Pancakes are a favourite breakfast food, and they’re so versatile when it comes to flavourings and additions. These Caramelized Apple Sour Cream Pancakes aren’t just any apple pancakes. They’re rich and a little bit crunchy, but it’s the sticky caramelized apples that really elevate your breakfast to a special occasion. Why not have them star at the Sunday breakfast table this weekend?
Caramelized Apple Sour Cream Pancakes
I first developed this recipe in February 2014, making it twice at the time, tweaking an ingredient here and method there. I even took a whole range of photographs of pancakes on a pretty china plate perched on the snow-covered porch railing. I’m not sure why these apple pancakes didn’t make it to the blog then, but I do know I thought of them from time to time over the intervening years.
The next time I made these apple pancakes, I’d had apples on my mind, especially since I was working on an apple recipe roundup at the time. That roundup just didn’t feel complete without this pancake recipe in it. So, I whipped up a batch for lunch, confirming that the recipe worked as well as I’d remembered, and hastily snapped some pictures before sitting down to eat.
Not Your Run-of-the-Mill Apple Pancakes
The sour cream makes the pancakes rich — buttery even — to the point that I’d eaten a few bites before realizing I’d forgotten to put butter on them. No need; I ate them without. A drizzle of maple syrup, though … that’s something I never forget. The cornmeal adds a pleasing hit of crunch, but it’s the sticky, soft apples, bronzed to a luscious caramel, that are the real stars here. Finding a bite of one is like a little gift.
These Caramelized Apple Sour Cream Pancakes are definitely in my collection of recipes that turn breakfast into a special occasion.
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp cornmeal
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 medium apple (McIintosh, Empire, etc.)
- pinch salt
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
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Start by making the pancake batter. Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. In a larger bowl, mix together the egg, sour cream, milk, oil and syrup. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well with a whisk (stir, but don’t whip it, to avoid incorporating air). The batter doesn’t need to be completely smooth.
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Set the batter aside while you heat the griddle and prepare the caramelized apples.
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Sprinkle the sugar evenly in a small skillet (I used a non-stick one) and set it on medium high heat. While it goes to work and the sugar starts to melt, peel and core the apple and cut it into slices about 1/4-inch thick. When the sugar has melted and darkened and is starting to take on that burnt-sugar aroma, add the apples to the pan as evenly as you can. Once they’ve browned on the first side, turn them, add the pinch of salt and maple syrup, and continue to cook them until the syrup has cooked down. The apples will be caramelized and sticky, and fairly soft. Let them cool for a couple of minutes, then stir them into the batter.
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Lightly oil the griddle, then use a large ice cream scoop or spoon to ladle on the batter. Make sure there are some pieces of apple in every scoop! When air bubbles have dimpled top of the pancakes more or less evenly, gingerly flip them over. Remove to a warm plate when cooked through. Remember, the first one is never the best, but it makes a fine cook’s treat!
More Ideas to #ONAppleaDay
By the way, if you’re looking for more ways to enjoy apples, why not check out the Ontario Apple Growers e-cookbook 30+ Ways to Enjoy #ONAppleaDay? Just so you know, I was the editor for this book, but haven’t been asked to promote it.
Looking for More Pancake Goodness?
Oh, I do love playing with pancakes, and by playing, I mean coming up with new recipes for them. If you like beer you’ll definitely want to try these Porter Beer Pancakes, with beer in the pancakes and the sauce! My Chocolate Buckwheat Pancakes are a huge hit with the family and a sleepover staple for the Little Misses. And these Cornmeal Raspberry Pancakes, one of my older recipes on the site (as you can tell by that photograph!), will have you going back for seconds and possibly thirds if you can find the room.
First Published 2016 11 13
Republished 2019 03 30
that is very amazing…
Wow, that’s nice to hear – thanks Suzanne!
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Love the description of these pancake and never thought of the apples sweet thank you …..
.MARLENE……
I’m glad I was able to share this new idea for pancakes with you, Suzanne.
[…] to choose the latter option, right? Both Porter Beer Pancakes with Porter Maple Butter Sauce and Caramelized Apple Sour Cream Pancakes signal special […]