Apple Pancakes with Cinnamon and Almonds
Searching for something delicious to replenish your energy levels after a workout? Look no further, as these apple pancakes with skyr, cinnamon and crunchy almonds are a hit, especially on autumn days. Full of protein and fibre, they are perfect as a quick snack that will give you strength and fill you up for a long time. And that aroma of cinnamon and juicy apples… Prepare them and feel how each bite perfectly fits into the autumn climate.
Preparation
I grated the apple. In a bowl, I mixed the grated apple, eggs, oat drink and flour. I poured the oil onto a heated pan and spooned the mixture, forming pancakes. I fried them on both sides until golden brown. Finally, I topped the pancakes with skyr, and sprinkled them with cinnamon and almond flakes.
Squeeze the grated apple
This is the step that separates pancakes from a wet mess, and no recipe for grated-apple pancakes mentions it often enough. An apple is roughly 85 per cent water, and grating breaks the cells open so that water comes straight out. Put the grated apple in your hands or a clean cloth and squeeze it over the sink before it goes into the bowl.
You will be surprised how much comes out. With only a quarter cup of oat drink in the recipe, that liquid is enough to turn a thick batter into something that spreads across the pan and never sets in the middle. If you skip the squeeze, hold back most of the oat drink and add it only if the batter needs it.
Which apple, and how coarse to grate it
A firm, tart apple is the one to use. Soft varieties collapse into pulp on the grater and disappear into the batter, so you lose the pieces of fruit that make these apple pancakes rather than plain ones. Anything crisp enough to enjoy raw will hold up.
Grate on the coarse side of the grater. Fine grating gives you more juice and less texture, which is the opposite of what this recipe wants. Peeling is optional and the skin softens completely while frying.
Let the batter stand, and keep the pancakes small
Oat flour takes up liquid slowly, so give the mixed batter five to ten minutes before frying. It thickens visibly while it stands, which is also your chance to judge whether it needs the rest of the oat drink.
Spoon small pancakes rather than large ones. These have no raising agent and a wet fruit batter, so a big pancake stays raw in the middle while the outside burns. Two heaped tablespoons of batter each is about right, and they need medium heat and patience rather than a hot pan.
Skyr goes on top, not in the batter
The skyr is a topping, and that is deliberate: it is what makes these a post-workout snack rather than just a sweet breakfast, since three tablespoons carry a useful amount of protein. Stirred into the batter it would thin out and disappear.
Put it on while the pancakes are warm but not straight out of the pan, or it slides off and melts. The cinnamon goes on over the skyr, where it sticks, and the almond flakes go on last so they stay crunchy. Toasting them in a dry pan for a minute while the pancakes fry costs nothing and makes a clear difference.
Keeping them
The pancakes keep two days in the fridge, stacked with baking paper between them, and reheat best in a dry pan rather than a microwave, which turns them rubbery. Add the skyr, cinnamon and almonds only when you serve them.
The batter does not wait: grated apple browns and keeps releasing water, so fry the whole batch and keep the pancakes rather than the mixture. If you would rather have post-workout snacks like these planned into the week with a shopping list, that is what the Diet & Training by Ann app does.
Apple pancakes with cinnamon and almonds
Ingredients
Method
- Grate the apple on the coarse side of the grater and squeeze the liquid out of it over the sink.
- Mix the grated apple with the eggs, oat drink and oat flour, and leave the batter to stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium heat and spoon in small pancakes, about two heaped tablespoons each.
- Fry on both sides until golden brown.
- Top the warm pancakes with skyr, sprinkle with cinnamon and finish with almond flakes.
Notes
Frequently asked questions
Because grated apple releases a lot of water. An apple is roughly 85 per cent water and grating breaks the cells open, so squeeze the grated apple in your hands or a cloth before it goes into the bowl. With only a quarter cup of oat drink in the recipe, that liquid alone can wreck the batter.
A firm, tart one. Soft varieties collapse into pulp on the grater and disappear into the batter, so you lose the pieces of fruit that make these apple pancakes rather than plain ones. Grate on the coarse side, since fine grating gives more juice and less texture.
Five to ten minutes. Oat flour takes up liquid slowly and the batter thickens visibly while it stands, which is also when you can judge whether it needs the rest of the oat drink.
There is no raising agent and the batter is wet with fruit, so a large pancake stays raw in the middle while the outside burns. Two heaped tablespoons each is about right, over medium heat rather than a hot pan.
No, it belongs on top. Three tablespoons of skyr carry a useful amount of protein and that is what makes these a post-workout snack, but stirred into the batter it thins out and disappears. Add it while the pancakes are warm rather than straight out of the pan. Post-workout snacks like these come planned into the week with a shopping list in the Diet & Training by Ann app.
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