Spiced Apple Filled Pancakes

With a spoonful of spiced apple filling tucked inside and accompanied by maple whipped cream, these pancakes make a special treat for an autumn brunch.

Ingredients:

For the filling:

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

3 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and grated

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Juice of 1/2 lemon

For the maple whipped cream:

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 tsp. salt

For the filled-pancake batter:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 Tbs. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

3 egg yolks

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup sour cream

5 egg whites

5 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

1 Tbs. confectioners sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

To make the filling, in a fry pan over medium heat, cook the butter, brown sugar, apples, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon juice, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes. Drain off any liquid. Set aside.

To make the maple whipped cream, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the heavy cream, maple syrup and salt until soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the filled-pancake batter, in a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt. In another bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the buttermilk and sour cream. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the batter will be lumpy. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir the whites into the batter in two additions.

Brush the wells of a filled-pancake pan with melted butter. Heat over medium heat until the butter bubbles. Pour 1 Tbs. batter into each well and cook for 2 minutes. Spoon 1/2 tsp. apple filling into the center of each pancake and top with 1 Tbs. batter. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes more. Using 2 skewers or toothpicks, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the pancakes to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter.

In a small bowl, combine the confectioners sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on the pancakes. Serve with the maple whipped cream. Makes about 30.

Thanks to W/S for the photo and the recipe!