A must recipe this fall: German apple pancakes, braised apple pancakes

Do you want something different for your next brunch? Try German apple pancakes. This was a hit yesterday at my place. I’m sure I will be making those again and again. Yum!

Germans eat pancakes a lot: they have different versions of pancakes in different regions, both sweet and savory. They use apples, plums, cherries, bacon, etc. And I like all of them but it’s the time of the year to consume a lot of apples. So today we are making apple pancakes.

First, choose the right apples. Granny Smith is the most popular apple for tarts but any type of firm tart apples are fine. Golden Delicious, Pippin, Northern Spy, and Sierra Beauty are all good.

First, in a bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, salt, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Then sift in flour. And whisk until combined. Make sure to use lukewarm melted butter and milk at room temperature.

In a frying pan, add in sugar, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg all at once. Over medium heat stirring occasionally, cook until the sugar bubbles.

Then add in apples and cook. The apples should become just tender. I don’t cook apples all the way until they are transparent and caramelized just because I don’t like too mushy apples in pancakes.

Divide the apples and the pancake batter evenly among the ramekins. Ramekins are already buttered and sugared. A cupcake pan can be used instead of ramekins. Also other different sized baking dishes are great. Personally I prefer ceramic/glass baking dishes simply because I don’t have to remove the pancakes out of pan to serve. Ramekins can go directly to the table and pancakes will be kept warm fairly long.

Bake in the oven preheated to 390° F. for 18 to 20 minutes, or until pancakes puff and edges are browned.

The apple pancake seems tall (see the photo below) but it will fall down in a few minutes. Bon appetit!