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.
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.
MY LATEST VIDEOSThere also is apple sauce and cozy apple pie spices in the pancakes.
But what makes these pancakes really phenomenal is the caramel apple topping.
Butter, diced apples, coconut sugar and apple pie spice cooked down to 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 preferences tough.
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.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1.5 teaspoons apple pie spice (or 1 t cinnamon + ¼ t each cloves and nutmeg)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- ⅔ cup buttermilk
- ¼ melted coconut oil or butter
- ¼ cup coconut or unrefined cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups diced apples
- 3 tablespoons coconut or unrefined cane sugar
- ½ teaspoons apple pie spice mix or cinnamon
- 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 ¼ 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.
- 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 adapted from A Houseful of Handmade
Products used (affiliate links):
Virginia says
If 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 says
I 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 says
Your pancakes look perfect for holiday morning breakfasts!
Regina says
Yes, these would be perfect for yummy family breakfast 🙂
Regina says
Thank you! Yes, these are perfect for a laid-back Sunday morning.
Vicky & Ruth- May I Have That Recipe says
I 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!