Apple Pancakes

These pancakes have a surprisingly delicate flavor to them which make them especially appealing. They are made with cottage cheese which gives them a nice protein boost and although made in a frying pan are not fried. I made them with Chanukah in mind albeit skipping the frying in oil part.

A word about pancakes, I’ve mentioned it before but it’s noteworthy. You don’t fry them, you “bake” them in the pan, i.e., you don’t use oil except the first time before preparing them you either spray oil or wipe the non-stick (must be non-stick) pan with a coating of oil and wipe it off again. You are simply assuring that the pan is non-stick. If you fry them they will not look like pancakes and will be oily and nasty.

You have to be a bit more patient with these pancakes since they can burn if cooked at too high a temperature. So unlike regular pancakes where you wait until the tops have a lot of bubbles, these as soon as you see two or three bubbles carefully flip. They should be a gorgeous golden brown. Again wait with your flame on medium low and peek with spatula underneath to check color and gently press to see if it still has a slightly gushy sensation or feels cooked and then promptly stack on plate. It pays to test one pancake to see how long it takes and then you can adjust the flame accordingly but I generally heat the pan and lower it to medium low. It takes about 2-3 minutes on each side, keep an eye on them.

So take 2 medium apples, and peel, core and quarter them and set aside.

Gather your ingredients and get your blender ready to roll.

Place the cottage cheese, orange juice, eggs and sugar in blender container and blend smooth.

Then add the apples and blend till smooth. A word, apples shouldn’t be left chunky are you will have nasty bits that don’t cook up properly.

This makes the batter more liquidy which is fine. Now add the flour, baking powder and salt.

Blend by pulsing a bit till smooth, using a spatula as needed (with the motor off, of course!). It should be thickish in texture like so:

Scrape sides with spatula and take out your frying pan and oil. Wipe down the pan with a thin coat of oil and wipe clean again with a paper towel. Heat the pan and then lower heat to medium low. Pour (I do it straight from the blender, easy peasy) about a quarter of a cup of batter and cook till you barely see 2-3 bubbles form like so:

Take a wide spatula and carefully flip to the other side. This is the golden brown look you are aiming for.

Cook 2-3 minutes (it will slightly puff up) and gently press with spatula to check for doneness. If it has a shaky, mushy texture, give it another minute, just make sure the heat isn’t too high so as not to scorch them. Peek at bottom and when golden brown, remove to plate. No need to place on paper towels since they aren’t fried! Serve with powdered sugar sprinkled on top or maple syrup (with these I prefer powdered sugar). Good for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Apple Pancakes

1 cup + 1 tablespoon (250 g) cottage cheese

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 large eggs

2 tbsp sugar

2 medium apples, peeled, cored and quartered

1 1/4 cups (150 grams) flour 

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Spray oil or regular oil

Powdered sugar or maple syrup to serve.

Directions:

Take a blender and place cottage cheese, orange juice, eggs and sugar in container. Blend smooth. Add prepared apples and blend smooth. Add flour, baking powder and salt and pulse blend till a smooth consistency, scraping sides down with spatula if need be. Take a non-stick (no other kind) frying pan and wipe with (or spray) oil and then wipe it off. Heat pan and then lower to medium low. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into pan and cook 2-3 minutes or till a few bubbles form on edges of pancake. Carefully flip, pancake should be golden brown. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes or till pancake is cooked through without mushy texture and bottom is golden brown (peek at bottom using spatula). Remove to plate. Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar or maple syrup.