Apfel Pfannekuchen

 

This is another one of my old favorites.  It is sweet and filling, and I think most Germans regard it as one of "Oma's comfort foods".  In spite of it's reputation as Oma's, I only remember my mother cooking these when I was small.   This is another quick and simple meal that kids love. 

 I sometimes substitute blueberries for apples because I am 100% convinced that Amaya prefers the blueberry version.  

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1.5 to 2 cups milk (enough to give a crepe-like texture to the mix, not as thick as pancake batter)
• 4 eggs
• Pinch salt
• 3 or 4 sweet and crisp apples (peeled, cored and sliced thinly)
• cooking oil (for the pan)
• 3tbsp sugar or cinnamon sugar

How to make:

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, milk, and egg.  Now, there are a couple of different ways to make these.  Your choice:

• Heat roughly 1/4 tbsp of butter in an 8” skillet over medium-high heat.  Arrange some of the apple slices in the hot skillet. Let the apple slices caramelize for about 20 seconds. Spoon enough batter into the skillet to fill the entire pan in a 1\4- inch layer. 
• Or my method is to coat the bottom of an 8" skillet with cooking oil over medium-high heat. Spoon enough batter into the skillet to fill the entire pan in a 1/4- inch layer.  Press the sliced apples on top of the batter.

When edges start to turn golden and the center is mostly dry, about 4-5 min, carefully flip the pancake. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the second side. Then, slide the pancake onto a serving platter.

Keep the pancakes warm in a low oven while you make the rest of the pancakes, adding a little butter or oil to the skillet before each set of apples and batter. (As the pan gets hotter, you may need to reduce the heat slightly.)

Sprinkle the pancakes with sugar or cinnamon sugar to serve.

Although it is tempting to use a larger skillet to make larger pancakes, flipping them when they get that big is a huge challenge.   I use either an extra plate or the lid from the skillet to flip the pancakes.  And remember, blueberries work as well as apples.  If you thawed frozen blueberries, dry them off on paper towel before using them.

This should give you about 8 pancakes.  Leftovers will keep in the fridge overnight to give an added bonus for the children's breakfast.