The fall air has made it back to Alabama this morning and it is lovely. A perfect day to drink hot tea on the deck and enjoy the cool air, sunshine, and birds. It was also a perfect morning to play with my pancake recipe.

The Gala apples that have been sitting in the fruit bowl for a week, suddenly looked really good. Apples, ginger, cinnamon….mmm, this seems promising. I worked from my usual pancake recipe, first adding unsweetened apple sauce instead of butter or oil. When I got down to the vanilla, I opted for the warm, fall spices of ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I threw in half of a grated apple at the end, just because it seemed the right thing to do.

And, oh it was. Hot spiced pancakes, topped with butter, syrup, and apple slices. A subtle hint of apple. This is a perfect fall morning.

Spiced Apple Pancakes

(Yield: one dozen)

Dry Ingredients
2 2/3 c. "Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix Recipe"
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Wet Ingredients
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. soy milk (or cow’s milk)
1/4 c. applesauce, unsweetened
1/2 apple, grated on the large side of a box grater

Topping Possibilities
butter
maple syrup
whipped cream
apple sauce
apple butter

Instructions:
1. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and give it a few whisks.

2. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and whisk them until they are well beaten. Add the remainder of the wet ingredients, and mix again.

3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until the ingredients are combined. Stir the batter until all of the flour is mixed in. This should just take a few seconds – there will still be lumps in the batter and that is okay. Put the batter aside while you heat up the griddle.

4. Put a teaspoon of butter on your griddle or non-stick skillet and heat on medium. Once the butter has melted, use your spatula to spread the butter over the entire surface of the skillet. This is going to keep the pancakes from sticking.

5. Using a 1/4 c. measuring cup, dip the batter out of the bowl and pour onto your skillet. I can generally fit three pancakes on my skillet at once. Let the pancakes cook and do not touch them until you see bubbles popping in the middle of the pancake like this:

Now, flip the pancakes immediately. They will only cook for a minute or two on the second side, and you can use your spatula to peek and see if they are as brown as you want them. Once they are, take them off the griddle and slip them into a plate that is warming in a 200 degree oven. Put some more butter on your skillet and do it again.

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