Pumpkin Pancakes with Salted Caramel Apple Sauce
The first thing I thought about when we decided to do this pumpkin week was pancakes. I’ve been seeing a lot recipes lately but never had the chance to make them. I make pancakes regularly for breakfast. I think it’s a great way to start a day. If you’re organized it can be really quick. The key is to have your pancake mix ready so that you only need to add the wet ingredients. I use a blend of whole wheat, oat, barley and regular flour for a healthy version.
So what’s so special about these pumpkin pancakes? It essentially is like a regular pancake but the added pumpkin puree and spice mix give them a nice fall touch. Now if you want to make your breakfast even more special, try them with this salted caramel apple sauce instead of the regular maple syrup. I’m drooling just thinking about it!
First, I cook and caramelize apple slices. The goal is to soften the apple and give them a nice color. I then make a quick caramel sauce with lemon juice and a bit of salt (or fleur de sel) to balance the sweetness. It’s sweet, slightly tangy and a touch salty, just the way I like it. Remember our apple chips? Make sure you have some time if you’re going to make everything. If you don’t, you can substitute the caramel sauce with maple syrup, that’s fine. One more thing, I reduced the amount of sugar in the pancakes since the sauce it’s quite sweet already.
The pancake recipe is adapted from Easy Homemade Pumpkin Pancakes by Inspired Taste. The recipe for the pumpkin purée is here.
Pumpkin Pancakes with Salted Caramel Apple Sauce
Yields 10 pancakes
Ingredients
Pancakes:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cup milk
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice mix
Caramel sauce and apples:
- 2 apples (honey crisp)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp fleur de sel
- 1 lemon, juiced (approx. 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice mix, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
- Combine milk, egg and pumpkin puree in a medium bowl.
- Add the flour mixture in two additions into the milk mixture. Stir until blended. Do not over mix. Allow batter to rest for 5 minutes.
- Heat up a lightly oiled pan on medium low heat. Add 1 scoop of pancake mixture onto the pan. Cook until small bubbles appear on the surface, flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Cook both sides until brown. Set on a plate.
- Slice apples in 2/3 inch wedges.
- Heat up a large non-stick pan on medium heat. When hot, lay apple slices in the pan and cook with a lid on for about 5 to 10 minutes until soft but slightly firm. Add 1 tbsp butter to the pan and brown the slices on each side. Set aside.
- In a heavy bottom medium sauce pan, add lemon juice and sugar. On medium high (more medium than high) heat, let the sugar dissolve completely. It should start to bubble. After about 5 minutes, the color should go from pale yellow to a dark amber. Watch carefully and swirl gently to avoid burning the caramel. Reduce the heat if coloring too fast.
- When the caramel has a dark amber color, remove from heat. Add 1 tbsp butter and salt. Stir gently until combined. Add water little by little to thin out the caramel. It should be slightly liquidy (as it cools down, the sauce will thicken a little).
- Carefully place the apple slices in the caramel to coat them.
- Serve pancakes on a plate, topped with apple and caramel sauce.
