Apple Cider Pancakes with Apple Butter & Toasted Almonds

Hello, friend.

So, October is almost over. It's practically Halloween. It’s officially the countdown to the holiday season. I’m not emotionally ready for that yet. Are you? Luckily, I have some recipe ideas and holiday inspired posts in mind, so stay tuned for that. Speaking of holidays, homecoming is this weekend and I’m beyond excited. It’s one of my first weekends I have off from work. I haven’t had the chance to make a home football game this year, so I am excited to take some time and actually be a social college student. Tailgating here we come! 


In my last post, I talked a bit about my stuttering and the negativity I had towards it in the past couple of weeks. It was another tough post to write, so I thought I would take it light this week and write about apples. It's apple season in the Midwest. That means every recipe on my Pinterest board is either apple; apple spiced, or anything else associated with the sweet, tender fruit. Apples are the last fruits of the years to be in season, so they are the superstar of autumn baking (well, next to pumpkin). A few weekends back, I went with my parents to a local orchard near my hometown for a Travel and Tourism class project. It was less of an assignment and more of an excuse to pick apples. I got up that Saturday morning and forged through the bitter chill of Central Illinois and picked some apples, bought jars of homemade apple butter, and sipped on mugs of warm apple cider.

Speaking of apple cider, I learned how to make some! Using my grandmother’s old crock pot (which surprisingly still works) I used the apples from my orchard excursion and made some homemade apple cider. I came across the recipe for cider from Ali (Gimme Some Oven) and knew I had to make a batch.

Quick side note: Being a college student and living alone, I’ve found that crock pot cooking has been a lifesaver. You just add all the ingredients in, turn it on, and just leave (kind of like a one-night stand, HEYO!). It’s that easy. The meal practically cooks itself.

Back to the cider. This batch made about three cups of cider, which equated to three mason jars, which I got to share. I brought some to a deli-sandwich dinner I had with a friend on some stone steps looking over one of the quads on campus. It was truly a beautiful time, plus the cider turned out completely delicious.

Ps. Thanks to friend and fellow photographer, Tyler, for helping me with this shoot! His work is really beautiful and a definite inspiration.  

Apple Cider Pancakes with Apple Butter & Toasted Almonds

Recipe inspired by The Wok of Life.  

The inspiration for this recipe is simple; I had some extra apple cider, and I love pancakes. Simple as that. A drizzle of maple syrup, a dollop of apple butter, and topped with roasted pecans made this dish sing. I think I heard a bit of Lana Del Rey.

Ingredients

Yield 12 pancakes

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup apple cider
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 6 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 small apples, cored and small diced
• 1 cup toasted almonds
• Apple butter, for serving 

Directions

1. Beat eggs with a hand mixer or whisk until eggs become fluffy. Add in the milk, apple cider, and vegetable oil. Sift in the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sitr in the vanilla and apples. Stir ingredients until smooth. For thinner pancakes: Add a ½ cup more of milk.
2. Grease up a griddle or cast iron pan with vegetable oil. Tip: Test if the oil is hot enough by sprinkling a few drops of water onto the surface. If the bubbles skitter around, the heat is just right. With every new batch of pancakes, want to add a quarter-size worth of oil to the pan to maintain consistent heat.
3. Take a 1/3 cup of batter and pour onto the hot griddle. Cook pancakes until puffed and golden brown around the edges, or when many bubbles begin forming on top of the pancakes. Flip over and cook until the other side are golden brown. Keep warm by layering them on a plate in between paper towels.
4. To serve: In a 350°F oven, toast almonds until lightly browned, about 6-8 minutes. Top pancakes with apple butter and toasted almonds. Serve immediately.

{Click here for the printable recipe}