Mom’s Apple Pancakes with Schwartz Cinnamon

When I was growing up, my family’s favourite Sunday morning treat was apple pancakes sprinkled liberally with cinnamon sugar. There was always a metal shaker in the cupboard, filled with the beautifully-coloured and wonderful smelling mixture, ready to use whenever we fancied a bit of sweet warmth. Today, ThermoHubby John’s power breakfast is Greek yoghurt and blueberries topped with walnuts and cinnamon. If you believe what you read on the Internet, current health advice tends to indicate that cinnamon has numerous health benefits such as lowering blood sugar, preventing cancer, easing indigestion, decreasing inflammation, thinning the blood, and it is said that cinnamon can even ease the symptoms of the common cold! When I Googled “benefits of cinnamon” I came up with over 19 million results touting 10, 11, 16 or 23 health benefits from eating – and even sniffing! – cinnamon. So here’s my disclaimer: this article does not offer any advice nor make any claims as to the health benefits of cinnamon. I just like the taste 😉

The good people at Schwartz have over 100 years’ experience producing herbs and spices, including both ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks. I tend to buy the whole cinnamon sticks and grind them in my Thermomix as I need them, and I always have the freshest spices possible. So when I read a beautiful tribute to Moms everywhere on a friend’s Facebook page and then picked up my jar of cinnamon, I immediately decided to share with you my family’s favourite Sunday morning treat.

Mom’s Apple Pancakes with Schwartz Cinnamon
Based on the Thermomix recipe for American Pancakes in “Fast and Easy Cooking,” this is a simple way to get some goodness into your kids while keeping the adults’ taste buds interested, too. It’s also great for using up the good bits of those bulk-bought apples that are starting to go brown, LOL. Vary the flavours by using other fruits instead of apples – but be sure to keep the cinnamon sugar, it’s so tasty and it could be good for you! Serves 4; can be halved.

Ingredients
one or two apples, peeled and cut into chunks
butter or oil (or a mixture of both) for frying

For the cinnamon sugar
2 Tbsps. granulated sugar
a few shakes of Schwartz Ground Cinnamon

For the Thermomix American Pancakes
200 g plain flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
50 g sunflower oil
2 medium eggs
300 g milk plus a little more to thin the batter

Method

1. Prepare your apples and set aside. You may wish to drizzle them with a little lemon juice to keep them from going brown.
2. Make the cinnamon sugar by whizzing sugar and cinnamon in the bowl of your Thermomix for a few seconds on Speed 3 or by stirring together in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Make the American Pancake batter: Put all pancake ingredients in the TM bowl. Mix 20 seconds/Speed 6. The mixture should be the consistency of double/heavy cream; if it’s too thick, add a little more milk and mix again.
4. Melt some butter with a little oil in a large frying pan and drop the apple chunks in little piles where you want your pancakes to be. Pour some pancake batter in a round over the apple chunks and cook until bubbles begin to form around the edges. Turn pancakes very carefully and finish cooking.
5. Serve on warmed plates, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

Madame Thermomix’s tips and variations:

• Use self-raising or cake flour instead of plain flour + baking powder
• Use spelt or a gluten-free flour mix for gluten-free pancakes
• Caramelise your apples in butter with a dash of sugar for a deliciously naughty treat
• Use other fruits you have on hand; cinnamon enhances the flavours of many fruits and berries
• Add a little cinnamon to the batter itself for a more complex flavour
• If you have a large frying pan that goes into the oven, take the lazy way and pour all your batter over your fried apple chunks and pop the whole thing in the oven until the batter is baked through. It’s more like an apple cake this way but it’s certainly easy to serve 😉

Bon appétit !

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