Fluffy Whole Wheat Apple Pie Pancakes paired with a delicious Apple Caramel Topping. A wholesome dessert-for-breakfast recipe that is refined sugar free.
Is there anything better than dessert for breakfast? Especially if it is made with wholesome ingredients and no refined sugar? I think not!
These Whole Wheat Apple Pie Pancakes are light and fluffy thanks to buttermilk in the batter and stiff egg whites, that are folded in right at the end. This little extra step is so worth it for extra fluffiness in whole wheat pancakes.
There is also apple sauce and some cozy-feeling apple pie spices in the pancakes.
But, what makes these pancakes truly phenomenal is the caramel apple topping.
Butter, diced apples, coconut sugar and apple pie spice cooked down to a caramel-y apple goodness that totally reminds me of the best apple pie filling.
Maybe a little better even. I left the peel on the apple dices and only cooked them to soften but not lose all their crunch. Just as I like it. Feel free to adjust to your personal preferences though.
A note about the whole wheat flour: I would have loved to use all whole wheat but the only kind I can get here in Thailand is a rather coarse stone-ground variety. There is just no way I can make fluffy pancakes from it, so I use half all-purpose flour for lightness.
If your whole wheat flour is very fine or even white whole wheat flour, you might even get away without any all-purpose flour.
Whole Wheat Apple Pie Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1.5 teaspoons apple pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs separated
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 melted coconut oil or butter
- 1/4 cup unrefined cane sugar
Caramel Apple Topping
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups diced apples
- 3 tablespoons coconut or unrefined cane sugar
- 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice mix or cinnamon
Instructions
- Heat a lightly greased griddle or non-stick pan to medium-low.
- Whisk together all dry ingredients in a bowl - flours, baking powder, spices, and salt.
- In a separate bowl stir together wet ingredients - egg yolks, apple sauce, buttermilk, melted coconut oil, and coconut sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites until stiff.
- Add the dry to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. When there are still streaks of flour in the batter, start folding in the stiff egg whites.
Drop 1/4 cup portions of batter on the heated griddle or pan. Cook until edges are set and flip. Continue cooking until lightly browned.
- Repeat with remaining batter.
Caramel Apple Topping
- Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Stir in the diced apple, sugar and cinnamon. Simmer on low until apple have softened to desired level (I still leave them a little crunchy).
- Serve pancakes topped with apple caramel mixture.
Recipe Notes
The pancake batter is fairly thick and lumpy. If it seems too thick to spread on the griddle, add a little water at a time to thin out the batter a little.
Recipe adapted from A Houseful of Handmade
Products used (affiliate links):
Finally, if you enjoyed these pancakes, try these other exciting recipes!
Instant Pot Apple Sauce Recipe
Homemade Apple Pie Spice Recipe
Virginia
November 2, 2016 at 3:13 pmIf their whole wheat how come there is 1cup of white flour in it and is there any way to make pancakes with out white flour
Regina
November 4, 2016 at 9:10 pmI would have loved to use all whole wheat but the only kind I could get at the time (I was living in Thailand) was the coarse stone-ground variety. There is just no way to make fluffy pancakes from it, so I used half all-purpose flour for lightness.
If your whole wheat flour is very fine or even white whole wheat flour, you might away without any all-purpose flour.
Kristi Rimkus
November 21, 2015 at 7:29 pmYour pancakes look perfect for holiday morning breakfasts!
Regina
November 22, 2015 at 8:01 amYes, these would be perfect for yummy family breakfast 🙂
Regina
November 4, 2015 at 12:34 amThank you! Yes, these are perfect for a laid-back Sunday morning.
Vicky & Ruth- May I Have That Recipe
November 3, 2015 at 11:35 amI love how fluffy these look! I find it is very difficult to get whole wheat to become fluffy but it looks like you have perfected it! These look like the perfect Sunday morning breakfast!