I like to think of this Caramel Apple Pancakes recipe as over-the-top fun! Ultra moist and tender pancakes are topped with mini caramel apples! I mean, how fun is that and just too darn cute.
I made these for Greyson for Halloween, and you'll know when you look below for my note on how to make them a little spooky. Uncka has fun with food and he has a super creative mind and this is one of his brainchildren.
This play on caramel apples just gives one more way to enjoy this treat that is especially enjoyable in the fall. I later show how I foraged for some small twigs to offer a little bit of a spooky twist and really solidify the look of a caramel apple in pancake form!
If you are a big fan of fruit in your pancakes, check out THIS RECIPE. Also, be sure to always serve them with WARM maple syrup, the real kind!
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Ingredients
For these caramel apple pancakes, you use a blend of applesauce and apple cider reduction. I use this recipe to make my own apple cider reduction or as some call it boiled cider. Boiling cider gives it the same treatment as maple syrup and reduces it down to an intensely flavored syrup.
If you like making your own spice blends, this one is our favorite for Apple Pie Spice. Whip up a half batch if you don't have a blend already on hand.
What you need:
- Honey Crisp Apple
- Caramel Sauce
- Unsalted Butter
- Whole Milk
- Unsweetened Apple Sauce
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Apple Pie Spice
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt, Morton’s
- Eggs
- Whipped Irish Butter
- Maple Syrup
See the recipe card for full quantities.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions.
Method
To make this recipe, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat on the stove. Add the milk to the pan and just continue warming until no lumps of butter remain. You do not want the milk to simmer or boil.
Stir the apple sauce into the warm milk and butter mixture, then fold in the dry ingredients just till a few streaks of flour remain. Finish by adding the eggs and extract to the bowl. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes before cooking.
While the batter rests, peel and ball a large honeycrisp apple, or two medium ones. Place the apple pieces in a skillet with some caramel sauce and cook over medium heat until the caramel warms. Boil the apples and caramel together for about 3 minutes till the apples just become tender and the caramel sticks to them well.
To cook the pancakes, heat a griddle over medium heat on the stove, and be patient. Heat it for at least 5 minutes to get fully warm.
Then drop 2-ounce ladles of batter on the hot griddle and cook till it gets very bubbly and the bubbles begin to pop, you can also drop extra blueberries in here if you like. Flip and cook 30-45 seconds longer till fully cooked.
Uncka's Chef Tip
Take care to ensure you griddle is well warmed so the pancakes don't stick to it, this is key. With these apple pancakes, cook on medium-low heat to ensure they don't burn. They make take about 30 seconds longer to cook before flipping due to this. The addion of apple sauce and brown sugar can cause them to burn quickly if the heat it too high.
When the cakes are done cooking, stack them up to ensure they finish cooking. Pancakes finish cooking all the way through in the same way tortillas do when stacked together in a warm cloth. This helps ensure no wet or soggy middles.
To serve, spread a little butter between and on top of a stack, add the caramel apples with some of their sauce, and a hearty drizzle of REAL maple syrup!
If you scroll down a bit, you can see some with tiny foraged twigs in the apples to make them look like really caramel apples and add a bit of a spooky touch. These would make great Halloween pancakes done up that way.
Substitutions
Let's chat about how to make these pancakes gluten, or dairy-free if you or someone you love needs to follow those dietary guidelines for their health.
- Flour - If you need to make these pancakes gluten-free, use a quality cup-for-cup flour swap. The one I linked here is really high quality and has great results.
- Milk - If you are dairy-free, you can use almond milk, but my suggestion is cashew for its higher fat content. Pancakes may stick a bit when using almond milk, and you may need to grease the griddle or pan more often during the cooking of your pancakes.
- Butter - You can use a vegan butter substitute or plant-based butter. A bit of a more economical swap is vegetable or canola oil.
- Caramel - We use Uncka's Homemade Caramel Sauce recipe for these apples. But you could also use storebought caramel or dulce de leche.
- Apples - Honeycrisp is the favorite apple of our house, so that is what we had on hand. You can use ANY apple for this recipe, you just need about 2 cups of balled apple pieces.
Equipment
If you need a melon baller for your apple I linked the one that I like the best there. I also LOVE this peeler, I promise it will be the last one you EVER need.
My number one favorite tool for perfect pancakes is a Cast-Iron griddle. They build up a strong, natural, non-stick coating over time and make for BEAUTIFUL pancakes.
Be sure to season a new griddle, every time you use and wash it (with soap) with this cast-iron oil to build THE BEST non-stick surface.
I like a really sturdy, metal spatula for flipping pancakes. It helps them not stick to it, and makes for a perfect flip, no floppy half-turned pancakes, it's got to be THIS spatula for me!
The use of a 2-ounce ladle makes THE perfect-sized pancakes, in my opinion. They are just the right size and easy to flip.
Storage
While pancakes won't spoil if left on the counter overnight, they are just like a cake, biscuit, or cookie in this way. I prefer to place them in a zip-top bag or air-tight container in the fridge. Store leftover apples in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat leftover caramel apple pancakes in a toaster, or toaster oven for best results. Rewarm any leftover apples in 30-second increments in the microwave just till warmed through.
Top Tips
Take note that the added brown sugar and apple sauce in this recipe can cause your pancake to burn rather quickly. They are also a bit more moist than our fluffy pancakes, so they will have a bit more of a jammy texture in the middle.
Cook them on medium-low and keep a watchful eye, they may need a flip a bit before all the bubbles pop. These ones also do really well kept in a warm oven until you serve them due to their added moisture from the apple sauce.
When making the pancake batter, ensuring it rests for 10 minutes is a HUGE gateway to SUPER FLUFFY pancakes. This allows the leavening agent to fully develop and lets the gluten strands in the flour relax.
Exercise patience and let the griddle get really warm before you start cooking. A griddle that is too cool will cause the pancakes to stick to it. I use a really Well-Seasoned cast iron griddle that requires no buttering due to the amount in the actual pancakes.
If needed, use a small amount of high-heat oil like vegetable or grapeseed to grease your griddle if needed. You should only need to do this once before you start cooking. Use a paper towel to spread an even and thin layer over your griddle.
I prefer to cook on medium, to just under medium heat so my pancakes can cook quickly. I also prefer only to cook 2 pancakes at a time so I have plenty of room to flip.
Be sure to stack your pancakes after cooking. This allows them to stay soft as well as allowing the middles to finish cooking while also staying a little JAMMY SOFT. That's what I call it anyway. It helps create super tender pancakes.
FAQ
Because of the moisture content, the caramel won't want to naturally stick to the apples. Cook the apples and caramel together until the caramel begins to stick to them.
Just like they do at IHOP we like to use baking soda and baking powder for extra lift in our recipes. It makes pancakes so fluffy they just might float away.
With heart and love. Take a deep breath and infuse all of your love and care into the time you are taking to show your love to those you are making them for!
More great Fruit Forward Pancake recipes
If you LOVE pancakes like me Greyson, try these versions too:
More of our Favorite Apple Recipes
When you want to be a little extra with your apple desserts, reach for this Caramel Apple Crisp Cheesecake
If you take the time to make homemade caramel, be sure to use some of it to make these Apple Nachos that Uncka whipped up as a great fall snack.
Caramel Apple Pancakes
I like to think of this Caramel Apple Pancakes recipe as over-the-top fun! Ultra moist and tender pancakes are topped with mini caramel apples!
Ingredients
for caramel apples:
- 2 cups Honey Crisp Apples, peeled and melon balled
- ½ cup Caramel Sauce
for pancakes:
- 8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- ½ cup Apple Cider Reduction
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons Apple Pie Spice
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, Morton’s
- 2 lg Eggs, lightly beaten
- Whipped Irish Butter, for serving
- Maple Syrup, for serving
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, combine the apples and caramel and warm over medium heat until the caramel comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the apples rest on the stove, stirring occasionally while you make and cook the pancakes.
- In a 2-quart saucepan on the stove, melt the butter over low heat. Add the milk and cider reduction to the pan and heat just till warm and any butter that solidified is liquid again. Do not boil. Cool for 5 minutes, then stir the vanilla extract into the milk mixture.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, soda, and salt.
- Slowly whisk the warm milk mixture into the flour mixture, just till a lumpy mixture forms.
- Crack the eggs into the bowl and whisk just till incorporated.
- Let the pancake batter rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
- After the batter has rested for 5 minutes, warm the griddle on the stove, over medium-heat I suggest a cast iron griddle. It is important to let it get hot till it begins to smoke the tiniest bit, then you know it is ready to be cooked on.
- Turn the heat down two marks on the stove dial, just between medium, and medium-low.
- Using a 2-ounce ladle, drop 2 rounds of batter on the griddle at a time. Cook for 30-45 seconds, just till the edges begin to set.
- Flip and cook a further 45-60 seconds, then remove to a platter.
- Pancakes can be kept warm in a 200˚F oven if needed.
- To make whipped Irish butter, beat 4 tablespoons in the bowl of a stand mixer, I like to use my flex edge flat beater it gets the butter extra fluffy, and beat for 3-4 minutes on medium-high, with a pinch of kosher salt.
- Serve the pancakes with a dollop of butter between each, some of the simmered caramel apples and their sauce, and a drizzle of warm maple syrup, the real kind!
Notes
Substitutions
Let's chat about how to make these pancakes gluten, or dairy-free if you or someone you love needs to follow those dietary guidelines for their health.
- Flour - If you need to make these banana pancakes gluten-free, use a quality cup-for-cup flour swap. The one I linked here is really high quality and has great results.
- Milk - If you are dairy-free, you can use almond milk, but my suggestion is cashew for its higher fat content. Pancakes may stick a bit when using almond milk, and you may need to grease the griddle or pan more often during the cooking of your pancakes.
- Butter - You can use a vegan butter substitute or plant-based butter. A bit of a more economical swap is vegetable or canola oil.
- Caramel - We use Uncka's Homemade Caramel Sauce recipe for these apples. But you could also use storebought caramel or dulce de leche.
- Apples - Honeycrisp is the favorite apple of our house, so that is what we had on hand. You can use ANY apple for this recipe, you just need about 2 cups of balled apple pieces.
Top Tips
Take note that the added brown sugar and apple sauce in this recipe can cause your pancake to burn rather quickly. They are also a bit more moist than our fluffy pancakes, so they will have a bit more of a jammy texture in the middle.
Cook them on medium-low and keep a watchful eye, they may need a flip a bit before all the bubbles pop. These ones also do really well kept in a warm oven until you serve them due to their added moisture from the apple sauce.
When making the pancake batter, ensuring it rests for 10 minutes is a HUGE gateway to SUPER FLUFFY pancakes. This allows the leavening agent to fully develop and lets the gluten strands in the flour relax.
Exercise patience and let the griddle get really warm before you start cooking. A griddle that is too cool will cause the pancakes to stick to it. I use a really Well-Seasoned cast iron griddle that requires no buttering due to the amount in the actual pancakes.
If needed, use a small amount of high-heat oil like vegetable or grapeseed to grease your griddle if needed. You should only need to do this once before you start cooking. Use a paper towel to spread an even and thin layer over your griddle.
I prefer to cook on medium, to just under medium heat so my pancakes can cook quickly. I also prefer only to cook 2 pancakes at a time so I have plenty of room to flip.
Be sure to stack your pancakes after cooking. This allows them to stay soft as well as allowing the middles to finish cooking while also staying a little JAMMY SOFT. That's what I call it anyway. It helps create super tender pancakes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 501Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 783mgCarbohydrates: 85gFiber: 2gSugar: 57gProtein: 6g
Food Safety
There aren't many concerns when it comes to pancakes, but here are a few tips to help ensure the best experience with your pancakes.
- Ensure your pancakes are fully cooked, as eating raw pancake batter is not advised because it contains raw eggs.
- The USDA advises to not leave cooked foods at room temperature for longer than 2 hours, 1 hour if the environment is above 90˚F.
- That said, pancakes contain the same ingredients as cakes, biscuits, and cookies so they can be stored at room temperature.
- I personally advise keeping them in an air-tight container or zip-top bag and warming them in a toaster or microwave before eating leftovers.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
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