Puffed Apple Pancakes

FontCandy (25) There are a few restaurants that serve this breakfast (also known as a German apple pancake), but my memories of this dish are from my Grandma’s house when I was little. Sometimes, she would make a chocolate version! Oddly, the recipe I use was given to me for a gourmet foods class I took in high school. Not a Home Economics class, but an actual cooking class, which I loved.

Though amazingly impressive, it’s actually quite easy to make. For me, the most difficult part is preparing the apples…which really isn’t difficult at all, just time consuming. I highly recommend you try this at least once though, as it is worth every effort!

Depending on the size of the pan (mine is a 10″) the pancake may have a slightly different texture. I have had ones in restaurants that were fairly dense and much more moist. Though good, they tend to make me feel that they aren’t fully cooked. The one I made yesterday, for a birthday brunch for both my son and I, was light and fluffy! I warn you now that you may have to make more than one of these! Though they spread over a platter, you will have lots of requests for more!

Puffed Apple Pancake 

Apple Filling:

3-4 granny smith (green) apples

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Dash allspice

Dash nutmeg

Pancake:

3 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons butter

Apple Filling Directions:

  1. Peel, core, and slice apples thin.
  2. Melt butter in large pan, add apples, sugar, and spices.
  3. Sauté, stirring frequently, until tender – about 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside until pancake is ready.

Pancake Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 and heat large (oven proof) iron skillet over medium high, until hot but not smoking.
  2. Beat eggs, milk, flour, and salt with mixer until smooth.
  3. Melt butter in pan, tilt to coat pan.
  4. Add batter, quickly tilt pan to spread batter evenly, and place pan in hot oven for 15 minutes. If pancake puffs, you can break it with a fork or knife.
  5. After 15 minutes, turn oven temp down to 350 for an additional 10 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven, slide pancake to serving platter, and top with apple filling. Garnish with powdered sugar, if desired.

The Easiest Spiced Apple Cider

Warm Spiced Apple Cider - One of our favorite fall treats! Great for parties and always enjoyed by trick or treaters (and parents) on cold Halloween nights!

Warm Spiced Apple Cider – One of our favorite fall treats! Great for parties and always enjoyed by trick or treaters (and parents) on cold Halloween nights!

I wanted to share with you the best spiced apple cider recipe ever. It’s so easy you’ll laugh, but tastes like something from a gourmet cooking store (we won’t name any names, but this cider has been compared to the best.) When serving, directly from the slow cooker you make it in, leave the lid off and the heat on low. This keeps it a perfect temp for drinking!

We make this every year for Halloween to give out to those roaming the streets in search of treats. I post a sign on the door letting people know they can ask for a cup, and leave the recycle bin open at the end of the driveway. The delicious smell has been known to affect people standing on the sidewalk! This also makes a wonderful addition to any Fall party. Just be sure to have lots of extra apple juice on hand to keep topping it off throughout the night!

Spiced Apple Cider

Ingredients:

Orange, cut into rounds

Whole cinnamon sticks (1-4)

Whole cloves (4-8)

Apple juice (any kind)

Directions:

Place orange rounds, cinnamon sticks, and cloves (adjust amounts to taste – I usually use two orange rounds, two small cinnamon sticks, and four cloves in a small slow cooker) then add juice up to about an inch from the top. Heat with lid on until hot; a couple of hours. Leave the lid off to serve. When using for a party, leave a ladle and cups next to the slow cooker so everyone can serve themselves.

Breakfast Biscuits with a Healthy Twist

Cheese Bacon BiscuitsBaking from scratch is extremely time consuming, but definitely worth all the effort! Yet, biscuits are one of the easiest breakfast to make. Especially when you have no time in the morning. These cheese and bacon biscuits are light and flaky, even with shreds of sharp cheddar and bacon bits floating throughout each delicate bite. Warm from the oven dripping with butter, they make the perfect accompaniment to eggs. My son also loves to grab them straight from the cupboard for a snack. With all the added preservatives and extras I can never pronounce, I like to make my families’ go-to food as much as possible.

What makes these biscuits healthier? Well, I used turkey bacon and 2% Turkey Baconmilk sharp cheddar cheese in this recipe. Does it make any difference in how the biscuits taste? Really, no. Turkey bacon does have a slightly different flavor, but when it’s cooked up, nice and crispy, and crumbled into tiny bits, we’re talking about total deliciousness! The true test though, is that my pickiest eaters gobble them up.

Cheese & Bacon Biscuits

Ingredients:

9 ounces (1 cup+2 tablespoons) water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (made with 2% milk)

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons dry active yeast

3 tablespoons (turkey) bacon bits

Directions:

*Note: I made my dough in my bread maker. If you have one, I highly recommend using the dough setting to do the hard work of mixing, kneading, and rising. If you don’t have one, here is a wonderful tutorial made by a friend of mine: http://lovefoodies.com/how-to-knead-rise-and-shape-dough.html#.UzgrhNvn9qY

Cut the bacon into small strips (I used scissors to cut the slices directly into the pan.)

Cook while stirring, until crispy and cooked through. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Crispy BaconAdd each ingredient in order except the bacon. Start the bread maker on the dough setting and set a timer for 35 minutes (into the hour and a half dough timer.) Once the bacon has cooled, break into smaller pieces. At the 35 minute mark, add the bacon bits to the dough.

Once the dough has finished, remove from the bread maker pan onto a floured board. Dough BallsRoll dough into an even shape, cut into small pieces (about 18-20,) and roll each into a ball. Place balls of dough onto a greased pan, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise 30-40 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned. Don’t worry about the sides (especially if they grew together,) judge by the top color.  Cool on a wire rack. They should last a least a week in a sealed container, but they never last long enough in my house to tell.

Browned Biscuits     Bottom Biscuits