Nothing says fall like apple cider. While apple cider donuts are all the rage, there are so many ways to use it without even preheating the oven. These apple cider pancakes are unbelievably flavorful, full of texture, and enhanced with apple pie spices, butterscotch, sautéed real apples, salted peanut butter, and thick cider maple syrup. It’s safe to say I have a new favorite fall breakfast.
Reduced Apple Cider
Rather than using raw apple cider in the batter and glaze, the recipe calls for apple cider that has been boiled down to a more concentrated, syrupy consistency. This means you can pack in 4 times the apple cider flavor without making the batter or glaze too runny. I know it may seem like an annoying extra step that takes some time, but it’s so worthwhile to go ahead and make a big batch of reduced apple cider, then store it in the fridge for pancakes, baked goods, glazes, dressings, sauces, etc. whenever you need it.
Side Note: Apple Cider vs. Apple Juice
Both are juices that come from apples. However, while apple juice is filtered, pasteurized, and made from concentrate, apple cider is unfiltered, raw, and made from fresh pressed apples. And you can taste the difference. Apple juice has a sweeter yet more bland, one-note taste due to processing. Apple cider, on the other hand, gets delicious complexity from the polyphenols and sediment retained from fresh apples. To be sure, apple cider is non-alcoholic. (“Hard cider” is its alcoholic counterpart made from fermented apple cider.)
The caveat: Because apple cider is usually unpasteurized, its lifespan is shorter (7-10 days), it can start to ferment to alcoholic cider over time, and it can contain bacteria that pose a risk to immunocompromised individuals, infants, elderly, and pregnant women. Fortunately, the solution to kill bacteria is to boil the cider first(!), which is exactly what I want you to do for these recipes anyway.
The Batter
The secret to this batter is reduced apple cider combined with buttermilk. I was blown away by how much airier, lighter, and more voluminous the batter was with apple cider and buttermilk compared to buttermilk alone. Like some kind of sorcery. Not to mention the delicious apple cider flavor that shines through in every bite.
Greek yogurt helps to thicken the batter to make thicker, softer pancakes. And I use a neutral oil like almond oil for moisture.
We don’t hold back on warm spices–cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice–for the flavor and aroma of a baked apple pie. For sweetness, you can use granulated sugar or a natural substitute like stevia (you don’t need much). Sea salt is essential for balance.
Two special mix-ins take these pancakes to the next level in terms of taste and texture:
(1) Sautéed cinnamon apples. Start with a crisp, sweet apple like Fuji or Honeycrisp (about 1/2 an apple for 2 servings). Dice into small pieces, sprinkle with cinnamon, and quickly sauté on your hot pancake skillet with a little oil or butter until the edges begin to shrivel. This quick step gives the apples the perfect tender texture for the pancakes.
(2) Butterscotch chips. Butterscotch, apple, and peanut butter were simply made for each other. If you prefer, you can sub cinnamon chips for a snickerdoodley twist, white chocolate chips for added richness, or even these salted caramel flavored chocolate chips if you’re feeling adventurous.
Toppings
Once you have your reduced apple cider (a new staple for your fridge), the cider syrup comes together instantly! It’s just a 1:1:1 mixture of:
- reduced apple cider
- apple butter (store-bought or homemade)
- pure maple syrup
If you don’t have apple butter, you can sub additional maple syrup and reduced apple cider; it will just be thinner.
Finally, I like to make my pancakes a complete and satisfying breakfast with a melty nut butter slathered on top. It just so happens that salted, crunchy peanut butter tastes divine with apples, apple cider, apple spices, butterscotch, and maple. Highly recommend.
Apple Cider Butterscotch Pancakes with Peanut Butter & Cider Syrup
Thick, soft, and airy buttermilk pancakes made with reduced apple cider, apple pie spices, melty butterscotch chips, and hunks of sautéed cinnamon apple. Topped with salted crunchy peanut butter and the most magical thick apple cider maple syrup.
Notes
The reduced apple cider can be made in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator for about a week. I recommend making a large batch and saving the rest for other uses (baked goods, glazes, dressings, etc.). See post above for additional tips and substitutions.
Ingredients
For the apple cider reduction:
- 1.25 cups apple cider
For the pancakes:
- 3 Tbsp Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup reduced apple cider (from above)
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp neutral oil
- 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 packets stevia or 3-4 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus a sprinkle for the apples
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
- 72g (~1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp) white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- butter or oil spray for the pan
- 4 oz (about 1/2 medium) sweet-crisp apple (like Fuji), diced into ~1/4-inch cubes
- 1/2 oz butterscotch chips
For topping:
- 2 Tbsp salted crunchy peanut butter (may sub almond or pecan butter)
For the apple cider syrup:
- 2 tsp apple butter
- 2 tsp reduced apple cider (from above)
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
Instructions
- To reduce the cider: Add 1.25 cups apple cider to a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until it has reduced to 1/4 the initial volume (1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp), about 25 minutes. (Time will vary depending on the volume and surface area of your pan. Larger volume/smaller surface area will take longer; smaller volume/larger surface area will reduce faster.) It should be thickened to the consistency of a loose syrup. Transfer to a heat-proof container to cool completely, then store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly grease the pan with oil or butter. Add the diced apple to the greased pan with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Cook a few minutes undisturbed, gently stir, then continue cooking until tender-crisp and shriveled at the edges. Set the apples aside to cool. Remove the pan from heat while making the batter.
- In a mixing bowl, combine Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup of the reduced apple cider, buttermilk, egg, oil, salt, sweetener, vanilla, and spices. Whisk until fully combined and smooth.
- Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda to the wet ingredients. Gently mix until just combined. (Don't over-mix, some lumps are good.)
- Allow the batter to rest 3-4 minutes (it will get puffy and airy). Meanwhile, reheat the skillet to medium and grease with butter again as needed. Then gently fold the sautéed apples and butterscotch chips into the batter.
- Working in batches, spoon the batter onto the skillet to form pancakes. Cook each pancake undisturbed until bubbles start to form on top, then flip and continue cooking until golden on both sides and cooked through (no wet batter from the middle). Transfer to plates and repeat with remaining batter. Makes about 6 medium pancakes in total.
- Make the cider syrup: In a small bowl, mix together the apple butter, 2 tsp of the reduced apple cider, and maple syrup.
- Top the pancakes with peanut butter and cider syrup, to taste.
Nutrition information is calculated for one serving of the full recipe as written, including peanut butter and cider syrup.
