One of my favorite places to visit when I go home to Michigan is a small family owned apple farm named Bayne's in Saginaw. They are only open in the fall and every year we would look forward to the day they opened with fresh apples, apple cider, and donuts!! Those are the best! When I get a chance to go to Michigan in the fall we always make our way there. Since I just saw on their Facebook page that they are open for the season it made so homesick. So I thought I would bring a bit of Bayne's to our breakfast table. The apple cider donuts were the inspiration for these pancakes. I get really great unsweetened apple cider from the Whole Foods near me, then paired with my homemade pumpkin pie spice and fresh apples this breakfast is definitely helping me relive all of the flavors of fall at the apple farm.

I use a mixture of whole wheat and white flour for the pancakes to create a nice hearty earthiness. The apple cider brings out so much flavor especially paired with the warm pumpkin pie spice mixture. There's just a little molasses tasting sweetness from the brown sugar and richness from the greek yogurt. Even with all of these things going on these apple cider pancakes remain light and fluffy. To add some brightness I sauté some apples with a little more spice to top off the pancakes. You need to make these!

Apple Cider Pancakes

makes about 8-10 5 inch pancakes

*1 cup whole wheat flour

*1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

*1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons homemade pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsweetened apple cider; room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup half and half with a splash of apple cider vinegar added (*see note below*); room temperature (or you can use buttermilk)

1/3 cup greek yogurt; room temperature

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 eggs; room temperature

**Maple syrup to pour over top**

Apple Spice Topping

2 heaping cups of thinly sliced apples (I like gala or honey crisp... something similar)

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

small squeeze of fresh lemon juice

***NOTE: If you don't have buttermilk at home you can simply splash a bit of vinegar into milk and it will create the same effect. I don't always have milk around but I ALWAYS have half and half around for my coffee. For this specific recipe I like using the half and half with a splash of apple cider vinegar to just add some more apple flavor, but you can simply use buttermilk instead and it won't be a problem.***

Instructions

*Whisk together the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large bowl

*Measure out all of the wet ingredients separately

*Crack the eggs into a small bowl and whisk them to break the yolks and combine

*Whisk together the cider, half and half/vinegar mixture, greek yogurt, oil, and vanilla

*Add the eggs to the cider mixture and whisk to combine making sure everything is incorporated

*Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients using a whisk to mix them together

*Whisk until everything is combined; careful not to over-mix

*If the batter seems too thick you can add more half and half (or buttermilk depending on what you are using) to thin it a bit

*It will be a thick batter, but you want it to be thin enough to drizzle from a spoon

*Preheat your oven to it's "warm" setting (about 200 degrees)

*While the oven is heating up you can make the apple spice topping; place a medium size skillet on the stove top and bring to medium heat and add the 3 tablespoons of butter

*Once the butter has melted add the thinly sliced apples, pumpkin pie spice, a pinch of salt, and a small splash of fresh lemon juice

*Cook the apples until they have softened stirring often; about 10-15 minutes; making sure they do not brown

*Keep these warm on your stovetop over the lowest heat while you finish making your pancakes; making sure to stir every so often

*Heat a large skillet on the stovetop over medium heat

*Use a tablespoon or two of butter (depending on the size of your skillet) and allow to melt and cover the surface of the skillet; it is important to use enough butter (or oil) in order for the pancakes to brown nicely and not stick to the pan

*Once the butter is melted pour about a 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter onto the skillet

*Do this for as many pancakes will fit on your specific skillet; mine allows for about 4

*Once the pancake has bubbles appearing on the top it is ready to flip

*Using a spatula carefully flip each pancake to allow the other side to cook

*Once the pancakes are done you can put them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and place in the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest of the pancakes

*Place pancakes on a plate and top with a small pad of butter, a scoop of the apples, and as much maple syrup as you like!