Cinnamon Caramel Apple Pancakes with Pecans

I’m pretty good about keeping the clutter in my house to a minimum, but you know where I am absolutely terrible?

My digital life.

Isn’t that horrible? I work in data. I live in information. I get paid to organize it.

And I’m a digital hoarder.

It’s pretty fun sometimes, though, because I find things when I’m getting rid of physical clutter, like thumb drives and external hard drives that I haven’t been through in a seeming age.

And when I go through those, I find absolutely fantastic memories.

Like these cinnamon caramel apple pancakes with toasted pecans.

I found the recipe and the photos and was immediately transported.

This is a recipe I made about five years ago, when we still lived in Hawaii.

The photos aren’t great, but the recipe is delicious, and just looking at them made me remember just how warm and fall-ish it tasted.

And you can make the caramel syrup and pecans and apples ahead of time, so if you’re looking for an easy fall family breakfast, just heat those up, throw some pancakes on the griddle, and you’re set!

Let’s give it a go and enjoy these again. I will. I may replace the pictures with new ones, I may not. Part of me loves the bright Hawaii autumn sunshine and the memories of making these in our tiny little apartment.

Although I’m looking forward to seeing how our newest foodie likes them. I may add a picture of him enjoying them eventually!

Note :: these are my sour cream pancakes, but I’ll repost the recipe here.

Cinnamon Caramel Apple Pancakes with Pecans

Serves 4.

What You’ll Need:

For the pancakes:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp unsalted butter

For the cinnamon caramel syrup:

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup heavy cream

For the apples:

2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4 inch wedges
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans.

How to Make Them:

1. Start with the caramel syrup. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt, and let simmer for 2 minutes.

2. Slowly add in the heavy cream, stirring constantly to prevent spattering. Let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the maple syrup and stir to mix. Remove from heat and set aside.

Note: You can make the caramel syrup a day in advance. Just warm it up again when you’re ready to drizzle it over those pancakes.

3. To make the apples, in a small skillet over medium heat, melt the 2 tbsp butter. Stir in the brown sugar and ground cinnamon.

4. Add the apples and pecans and stir to coat.

5. Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and the pecans have started to caramelize, about 5 minutes again.

Note: You can also prepare the apples ahead of time. Just use caution when warming them up so that they don’t get soggy and the pecans don’t overly harden. I like warming the mixture up in a skillet on low heat.

6. For the pancakes, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the egg until fluffy, and beat in the sour cream, milk, vanilla, and melted butter. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry.

7. Heat your griddle to 350F. Working in batches, ladle about 1/4 cup per pancake onto the griddle and cook until the edges are bubbly and appear golden brown. Flip with a spatula and cook the other side.

8. Serve pancakes with cooked apples and pecans and a hearty drizzle of cinnamon caramel syrup.