Apple-Cakes

Alrighty folks, it's time for a recipe!

A while back I found a picture on Pinterest showing how someone dipped apple rings into pancake batter before cooking them. My first thought after pinning it was a typical response of: "Why didn't I think of this before?!" I mean really, apple rings in pancake batter...how simple is that? Having recently lost my mind and ordered 20 lbs. of fuji apples from co-op, I knew I had to try to make these.

One night when breakfast-for-dinner seemed the only right thing to do, instead of looking up the recipe, I lost my mind and decided to make up one of my own. Right there! On the spot! Just because I could. As it would turn out, whipping up a bunch of ingredients into our magic bullet worked out really well. We devoured our apple-cakes and it's become a new family favorite.

Normally I am terrible about writing down impromptu-inspired recipes, but having an inkling this one might be good, I scratched it down on a sticky note. Here's what's involved:

1 cup of oats (we had some g-free, organic)
4 T. brown sugar
1/2 tsp finely ground salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 T. flax seed
1/2 c. milk (moo-cow or coconut)
2 eggs

Place all of these ingredients in a blender, magic bullet, or whatever you have. Blend until everything is completely combined. Add more milk or oats depending on if you need to alter the consistency. I've found that a thicker batter is easier to work with. All you need now are your apple rings and a baking you can go!

Two large fuji apples, each cored and cut into 6-8 rings did a good job using up all of our batter. With a preheated and lightly greased griddle at the ready, I hand dipped each apple ring as I went, cooking 3 at a time before flipping them and making another batch. It's kind of a messy process, but so worth it! Oh yes, and since it takes a little while before all the apple pancakes are done, I stuck a plate in the oven (at 200*) to throw the pancakes onto as I cooked. It kept the little beauties warm until we were ready to eat.

We buttered our apple-cakes and dusted them with powdered sugar before diving in, but they are also fabulous with maple syrup or a drizzle of honey. Since our crew is small, we usually have leftovers which are a treat for breakfast the next morning, or eaten plain as a snack on-the-go. So there you have it! Apple-cakes! Let me know if you try them...but in case you found the "real" recipe on Pinterest to be better, please just leave me in blissful ignorance. :)

**Apple coring tip: Slice that sucker (the apple that is) in half before coring it. Working on half of an apple is far easier than the whole fruit!