Apple Cider Pancakes (vegan)

The other day I was wasting a bit of time on Pinterest... yes, I know, one of my latest addictions of time. It is fun to get inspiration for your home, crafts, kids and food. And an image caught my attention of some apple cider pancakes. They looked wonderful. I pulled up the website and read the recipe. Yes, whole wheat flour was the main ingredient. Which is just great for the average healthy person, but not so great for a gluten-free person like me. So, I thanked the lovely recipe for the inspiration and decided that I needed to come up with a gluten-free recipe of my own.

Not to mention, I still have a few gallons of apple cider leftover from the harvest party. So, with apples galore, cider extraordinaire, what else would I be wanting my pancakes to be spiced with this time of year??? Plus, with a little pure maple syrup and a sweet baby to share it with, you really couldn't ask for more. Yes, I made this recipe without eggs so that I could share them with my babe, because I haven't introduced egg whites to his diet yet. BUT, if you can eat eggs and would like to make these pancakes a bit more cakey, you CAN add an egg (or two) to this recipe and it will be just fine as well. But, for the vegan and baby friendly recipe version I made the following recipe.

I ground up some whole gluten-free oats for this recipe, but you can use regular GF oat flour if you prefer. I like to grind my own flours from grains if I can. Fresh flour makes the dish taste lighter and they also seem to soak up the moisture in the dish better. It is also very easy to do if you own a magic bullet or a high powdered blender like a Vitamix. Seriously not too difficult, and also kinda fun. Or, if you are looking to feel like a more domesticated-pioneer-like woman, you can definitely get that feeling after making your own flour and your own homemade bread or pancakes :)

Apple Cider Pancake Recipe (vegan)

1 1/2 cup of ground gluten-free oats (about 1 cup of oats, grinds about 1 1/2 cup of oat flour)

1/2 cup of fresh buckwheat or millet flour

3 TB of chia seed meal (or flax seed meal)

1 TB of baking powder

1/2 ts. of sea salt

1 ts. of stevia powder

1 ts. of ground cinnamon

1 ts. of apple pie spice (or more cinnamon)

dash of nutmeg, cloves and allspice

1 TB of coconut palm sugar 

1 TB of light olive oil or grapeseed oil

1/2 cup of homemade applesauce

1/2 cup of fresh apple cider

1/2 cup of non-dairy milk (I used So Delicious Coconut Milk)

optional ingredients: handful of raisins, craisins or fresh grated apple

Mix all the dry ingredients together first, then add the wet. Mix well together and let sit for about 10 minutes to let the batter set and thicken. Then warm a skillet, griddle or a larger frying pan with a little coconut oil or ghee. Also, you may need to add more oil after each batch depending on your pan.

Keep the heat medium to low to make sure you do not smoke the oil or burn the pancakes. Then use a 1/4 cup to spoon out the batter onto the griddle. Spread out the 1/4 cup amount of batter with the same scooper and make sure it is mostly evenly spread and in a circle. Then let it cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. You will know it is mostly cooked on the first side when you see some air bubbles start to form. Then flip and cook the other side. Press down the middle occasionally to make sure the middle is cooking as well. Then pull from the griddle and you have your perfect pancakes.

This recipe will make about 12-15 pancakes and feed about 4 people. Serve with pure maple syrup, or sprinkle of coconut sugar with cinnamon. Or perhaps fresh apple slices, and glasses of warmed or cold cider. Perfect fall breakfast, or even dinner if you like.

Some great things about pancakes:

-low-sugar or sweetener treat

-great nutritious breakfast that you can make a lot of for a big group or the freezer for later

-easy baby snack food

-easy pack in go or freezing for later food

-you can top with fresh fruit of any kind and squeeze of lemon, maple syrup or spices...

-a fun way to start the day (even on a Monday!)

Enjoy friends! I hope you have a beautiful fall week with lots of apples, cider and crunchy walks in the leaves.

Much love to you as always!