Today’s recipe is brought to you in collaboration with Silk®. They have an amazing Dairy-Free Yogurt Alternative with lots of plant-powered protein, and it makes these pancakes so tender and irresistible!
Throughout our childhood, my brother and I ordered the same meal every time we visited our favorite restaurant for brunch: a gigantic pancake the size of a dinner plate, cooked in the shape of Mickey Mouse’s head. It came with two small dollops of whipped cream, topped with either blueberries or grapes, for the eyes; a little pat of butter for the nose; and a curved slice of cantaloupe or honeydew for the mouth.
And we always doused them with the small spouted glass of pure maple syrup served on the side!
We continued to request that Mickey Mouse pancake until my 12th birthday, when I grew too old for the kids’ menu. Although I had to switch to the “grown up” menu, my brother could still order the special pancake for another three years—no fair!
Once he reached the age limit, he began browsing the regular menu as well. Whereas I grew adventurous and replaced Mickey Mouse with ham and cheese omelettes or scrambled eggs with country-style hash browns, my brother stuck with the same pancakes, just cooked “adult-style” as regular circles without any whipped cream eyes or fresh fruit smiles. Sometimes, he changed his mind and opted for the French toast made from orange cinnamon swirl bread, but regardless of which he ordered, we could almost guarantee that his breakfast would come with a side of maple syrup!
Until…
He developed an egg allergy and lactose intolerance in college.
Over the past few years, he has dealt with it really well without a single complaint. He carefully reads all of the ingredients on nutrition labels at the grocery store, and he plans ahead and checks out restaurant menus online to find different options he can eat. (He switched to big plates of the country-style hash browns topped with grilled chicken and veggies at our favorite brunch spot!)
But when I recently asked him what he missed the most, he shared three things: lemon cookies (these are his favorites!), pancakes, and crêpes. He explained that he can find decent vegan cookies every so often at a specialty grocery store or bakery, but it’s nearly impossible to find any good pancakes or crêpes.
So I created these Cinnamon Apple Pancakes just for him! They’re egg-free and dairy-free, but they have the same texture as traditional pancakes. Since he loves apples and eats one nearly every morning, I added spiced apples to the stacks of pancakes too—and they practically taste like apple pie!
In this recipe, I replaced the egg with Silk’s dairy-free yogurt alternative. They have plenty of fun fruity flavors to choose from, as well as traditional vanilla and plain. I opted to use the latter two while testing this recipe, but I’d imagine that the blueberry or black cherry would be a fun twist! And bonus: Silk’s dairy-free yogurt alternatives are all made with vegan-friendly ingredients, so these pancakes are too!
Now I’m sure you’re already a pro pancake maker, but just in case you’re a bit rusty like me… Let’s quickly go over the best tricks to cooking perfect pancakes! (And for pictures to illustrate each tip, check out this post of mine!)
›› Use a nonstick pan or griddle. Skip the stainless steel cookware—it’ll turn your pancakes a really deep brown, almost burnt!
›› Keep the heat low. Low, even heat = perfectly golden pancakes. On my gas stove, I generally keep the flame as low as it’ll go. Yes, it does take a little extra time to cook the pancakes… But they don’t burn, and that’s totally worth the wait!
›› Flip with your wrist. Not your elbow or full arm! That leads to what I call a “pancake skirt,” where there’s a little extra batter peeking out on the sides. It doesn’t taste any different, but we might as well try to make the prettiest pancakes we can, right? A little twist of the wrist is all it takes!
And now for the “apple pie” apples! Dice them finely—the smaller you cut them, the faster they’ll cook!—and add them to a small pan with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Sauté them for a few minutes until they’ve softened. We don’t want crunchy raw apples on top of our soft and tender pancakes!
Then grab a plate, pile on a stack of pancakes, top with the apples, and…
Dig in! And remember to visit Silk’s website to get a dairy-free yogurt alternative coupon and take their Taste the Goodness Challenge!
| Cinnamon Apple Pancakes | | Print |
- for the apples
- ½ cup (62g) diced apple (about one small, and cut really tiny!)
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- for the pancakes
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp coconut oil, melted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120g) Silk Non-Dairy Yogurt Alternative, plain or vanilla
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp (150mL) unsweetened cashew milk
- To prepare the apples, lightly coat a small pan with nonstick cooking spray, and briefly preheat over medium heat. Add the apples and sprinkle with the cinnamon. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4-6 minutes or until the apples have softened. Set aside.
- To prepare the pancakes, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the coconut oil, vanilla, non-dairy yogurt alternative, and milk. Gradually stir in the flour.
- Lightly coat a large nonstick pan or griddle with nonstick cooking spray, and preheat over low heat.
- Using 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake, dollop onto the hot pan, and spread into a circular shape if desired. Let the pancakes cook for 2-3 minutes, or until a slight skin starts to form around the edges and the bottom is light golden brown. Slide a spatula underneath, and flip. Continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes or until light golden brown on both sides. Serve hot topped with the prepared apples and pure maple syrup, if desired.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour.
For cooking tips, see the text in the blog post above.
This recipe is easily doubled to make more. If you have any leftovers, they freeze really well too!
For more substitutions, see the Nutrition Information page.
{gluten-free, vegan, low fat, low calorie}
This post was sponsored by Silk®. As always, all text, images, recipe, and opinions are my own.
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