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Brown butter apple cider griddle cakes topped with caramelized cinnamon apples, streusel and maple vanilla yogurt

Brown Butter Apple Cider Griddle Cakes With Caramelized Apples and Cinnamon Streusel

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Thick, protein-rich apple cider pancakes with crisp brown butter edges, caramelized cinnamon apples and crunchy streusel. Each stack is served with creamy maple vanilla Greek yogurt.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 4
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 500
Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Apple Cider Reduction
  • 1 cup apple cider, not apple cider vinegar
High-Protein Griddle Cakes
  • 1 1/2 cup plain 2% cottage cheese
  • 4 tbsp maple sugar or coconut sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tbsp whole milk, plus more if needed
  • 3 tbsp cooled apple cider reduction
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, approximately 120 grams
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter, browned and cooled
Cinnamon Streusel
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Caramelized Cider Apples
  • 2 medium Honeycrisp apples, approximately 360 grams before coring
  • 1 tsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp apple cider reduction
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
Crispy Griddle Finish
  • 2 tsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tsp maple sugar
Maple Vanilla Yogurt
  • 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Method
 

Reduce the Apple Cider
  1. Pour the apple cider into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 15–20 minutes, until reduced to 1/4 cup. Measure to confirm, then reserve 3 tablespoons for the batter and 1 tablespoon for the apples. Cool the batter portion completely.
Bake the Cinnamon Streusel
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix the flour, oats, coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the melted butter until small clusters form. Scatter over the baking sheet and bake for 10–14 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool completely.
  2. Brown the Butter
  3. Cook 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the milk solids turn golden and smell nutty. Immediately transfer it to a bowl and let it cool.
Blend the Wet Ingredients
  1. Blend the cottage cheese, maple or coconut sugar, eggs, milk, cooled apple cider reduction and vanilla until completely smooth.
Make the Batter
  1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Fold in the blended mixture and cooled brown butter just until combined. Rest the batter for 5–10 minutes. It should be thick but spreadable. Add additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time only if needed.
Caramelize the Apples
  1. Core and thinly slice the apples. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water if needed to prevent sticking.
Finish the Apples
  1. Add the maple syrup, reserved tablespoon of cider reduction, cinnamon and salt. Cook for another 2–3 minutes, until the apples are tender and coated in a sticky cider sauce. Keep warm.
Cook the Griddle Cakes
  1. Heat a nonstick or well-seasoned skillet over medium-low heat. Lightly coat the surface with some of the measured cooking butter. Divide the batter into 12 pancakes, using approximately 3 tablespoons for each. Gently spread each pancake into a 3 1/2-inch round.
Caramelize the Edges
  1. Cook for 2 1/2–3 1/2 minutes, until the bottoms are golden and the edges look set. Sprinkle a small amount of the measured maple sugar over each uncooked top immediately before flipping.
Flip and Finish
  1. Flip and cook for another 1 1/2–2 1/2 minutes, until the centers are set and the second sides are lightly caramelized. Lower the heat if the sugar darkens too quickly. Use the remaining butter across subsequent batches and wipe burnt residue from the skillet as needed.
Keep Warm
  1. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a wire rack in a 200°F oven without stacking while finishing the remaining batter.
Make the Maple Vanilla Yogurt
  1. Stir together the Greek yogurt, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth. Refrigerate until serving.
Assemble
  1. Place 3 griddle cakes on each plate. Top with one-quarter of the caramelized apples and cider sauce, one-quarter of the cinnamon streusel and one-quarter of the maple vanilla yogurt. Keep the yogurt slightly to the side so the streusel remains crisp.

Nutrition

Serving: 300gCalories: 500kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 27gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 125mgSodium: 790mgPotassium: 650mgFiber: 4gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 700IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 250mgIron: 2mg

Notes

Keep the skillet over medium-low heat so the thick pancake centers can cook before the maple sugar becomes too dark.
Nutrition includes 3 pancakes, caramelized apples, cinnamon streusel, maple vanilla yogurt and all measured cooking butter and sugar. It does not include additional syrup or butter.

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