Apple Pancakes

Welcome, apple season! So thrilled you've come 'round again. I think I've lost more enamel on my teeth from eating you all, but you're so delicious that I will just suck it up and use that special toothpaste for a while.

For those who are wondering how to squeeze more fall action into their breakfasts, here's the perfect pancake recipe. These are the puffy kind of pancakes, not so sweet, which is fine since you're probably loading it up with syrup. Right? I knew it.

I use a 1/2 cup measuring cup to make 5 giant pancakes. But that's just my preference. I have 2 littles (yes, that explains the lengthy hiatus) and need to be away from the stove as quickly as possible, so I get 'er done in as few pancakes as I can. Plus, it's funny to watch a 2-year-old see a pancake larger than his head. If you do 1/3 cup, I bet you could get 8 good-sized pancakes.

High-Rise Apple Pancakes

1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or just use more AP)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 T sugar
1/4 tsp apple pie spice (or just cinnamon)
1 large egg
1 cup + 2 T milk (any variety, soy will do)
3 T vegetable oil (or melted butter)
1 medium apple, any variety (I used golden delicious)

Heat up a cast-iron skillet. It will take one thousand years, so start it now. I use the medium setting, but it really depends on your stove. Or you can use your favorite pancake pan.

Mix up the flours, salt, powder and spice in a medium-size bowl. Grate the apple on a box grater and then gently stir it — and the juice it makes — into your flour mixture.

Whisk the egg into the milk and oil until everything is blended.  Pour over the flour mixture, and use a spatula to stir it all together. Don't overmix. Once it all looks incorporated, stop.

Whatever way, they're delicious with maple syrup. Make sure you use the good (real) kind.