Sour Cream Pancakes with Roasted Apples (Family Bites)

I’ve been making one of two pancake recipes for years. The first is a classic puffy buttermilk pancake made from a recipe that’s so simple to create I memorized it after the third time I whipped them up. The second is the one I make when I’m feeling extra healthy and want to add a boost of whole grains to the kids’ diets. Both are beloved, in regular rotation, and sufficiently satisfy our pancake cravings so I wasn’t looking to add another recipe to our collection. That is, until I read Julia Turshen’s new book, Small Victories, and her description of sour cream pancakes topped with brown sugar-roasted fruit.

I could go on and on about all the things I love about this book – and I will soon! – but at the top of my list is the fact that each recipe is both clever and creative, and uses as few ingredients as possible. Case in point, these pancakes require seven basic pantry and fridge items that I’m sure you have on hand. Flour? Check. Eggs? Check. Apples? Check. The sour cream might be a bit of stretch for some, but you can just as easily use yogurt in its place, and I’m willing to bet you probably have at least one of the two in your fridge, right?

I’ve put my own spin on this satisfying breakfast to make it both seasonally appropriate and to make use of the ingredients I had in my fridge, but as Julia instructs in her book, you can use almost any fruit, including bananas, which take really well to roasting. I’ve been in a bit of a breakfast rut lately – my boys are partial to eggs and toast or cereal on weekday mornings – but these pancakes left me inspired and craving a few new options to our morning meals.

Sour Cream Pancakes with Roasted Apples

Adapted from Small Victories

2 apples, cored and thinly sliced
4 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp. fine sea salt
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
Unsalted butter, for cooking
Optional: plain yogurt and maple syrup, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small baking dish, combine the sliced apples with 3 tablespoons of the brown sugar and toss to combine. Roast, stirring occasionally until the fruit is soft and slumped and the sugar caramelized, about 10-15 minutes. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.

3. Crack the eggs into a medium mixing bowl and add the sour cream and remaining tablespoon of brown sugar. Whisk until smooth and combined.

4. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the sour cream mixture. Stir with a rubber spatula until just combined.

5. Set a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and add a tablespoon of butter to the pan. Swirl it around to evenly coat the bottom of the skillet. If you’re using a griddle brush the butter over the surface.

6. Pour the batter into the pan in ¼ cup increments to make pancakes that are 3-4 inches in diameter; cook as many as you can comfortably fit into the skillet.

7. Cook pancakes until small bubbles begin to form on the surface and the undersides are golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until the second side is nicely browned, about another minute or so.

8. Transfer pancakes to a plate and continue making them until you run out of batter, adding more butter to the pan as you go. Serve pancakes immediately and top with roasted apples, plain yogurt and maple syrup, if desired.