Buttermilk Pancakes with Apple Cinnamon Syrup

Autumn has come to the northern hemisphere, and although I'm down in Australia where it is currently spring, I find myself longing for the crisp days, brightly coloured trees, and delicious apple cider that comes with my favourite season.

I'm originally from upstate New York, and while we do get a few coloured trees here in Oz, nothing compares to autumn back home. I could go on and on about pumpkins, hay rides, foliage, and pumpkin spice lattes, but what I really miss is the amazing food that Fall brings. Pumpkin pie, cinnamon sugar donuts, fresh corn and squash, and my favourite; apples of every variety and colour picked fresh from the tree. 

Besides pumpkin, apple is the flavour of the season in my opinion. And as the days get colder and shorter, I can't think of a better way to start a September Sunday morning than with a plate of hot buttery pancakes drizzled in sweet apple cinnamon syrup.

I got the idea for the apple syrup from a poached pear recipe that I made a few months back. When I had finished poaching the pears, I had almost a full cup of beautiful pear flavoured syrup left over. I thought I'd give it a try with apple juice, and luckily on my first try it turned out super yummy. It tastes like hot apple pie filling, and goes perfectly with a buttermilk pancake recipe I found here.

I suggest making the syrup ahead of time, like the night before, so it has some time to thicken up. I added a few apple slices to my syrup while it was boiling and removed them as they softened, and used them to top the pancakes for some extra apple goodness.

Ingredients

Apple Cinnamon Syrup (Prepare in advance)
2 cups apple juice
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon OR 1 cinnamon stick

Buttermilk Pancakes (makes approx. 20)
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites
2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 and 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
3 tbs melted butter

Method
1. Add apple juice, water, cinnamon and sugar to a small saucepan and place over a high heat.
2. Bring contents to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat and gently simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes, or until liquid has reduced by more than half.
4. Remove from heat and pour syrup into a small syrup jug or glass. It will look a bit runny.
5. Leave to cool/ thicken for a few hours on the counter, or place in the fridge to speed up the process. Stir occasionally.
6. Serve over hot pancakes.

For the Buttermilk Pancakes
1. Beat the egg yolks until pale, then beat with buttermilk.
2. Add the melted butter and mix to combine.
3. Sift in dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
5. Gently fold egg whites into the pancake batter with a spatula until completely combined.
6. Leave batter to rest for 15 minutes before cooking.
7. Heat pan or griddle to medium high and lightly grease with butter.
8. Ladle pancake batter onto hot pan and cook until small bubbles form on the top and the edges have started to crisp up.
9. Flip pancake over and cook the other side until light golden brown.
10. Serve hot with butter and apple cinnamon syrup.