Dutch Apple Pancakes (Appelpannenkoeken) with Cinnamon

About This Recipe

Dutch pancakes, pannenkoeken, are nothing like fluffy American breakfast pancakes — they're large, thin, crepe-like discs cooked in a single skillet and eaten as a full meal, often for dinner rather than breakfast. Appelpannenkoeken, studded with sautéed apple, are one of the most common versions found on menus across the Netherlands, usually finished with a dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of stroop (Dutch syrup). The batter is thinner than American pancake batter, more like a rich crepe batter, so it spreads to fill the entire pan in one confident pour. Apple slices are pre-cooked briefly in butter and cinnamon so they soften and caramelize slightly before going into the batter, which keeps them from turning the pancake soggy. Each pannenkoek is cooked low and slow in a well-buttered skillet until the edges turn lacy and golden and the underside develops real color, then flipped in one piece — a skill that takes a try or two to get comfortable with.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 cupsall-purpose flour
• 3eggs
• 2.5 cupswhole milk
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt
• 2 tbspunsalted butter(melted, plus extra for the pan)
• 2 largeapples(peeled, cored, thinly sliced)
• 1.5 tspground cinnamon
• 3 tbspsugar(divided)
• 2 tbsppowdered sugar(for dusting)
• 3 tbspstroop or maple syrup(for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the batter

   Whisk flour and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, then slowly whisk in the milk until you have a smooth, thin batter about the consistency of heavy cream. Whisk in the melted butter. Rest 15 minutes.

2. 2

   Sauté the apples

   Melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add apple slices, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar, and cook 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly caramelized. Set aside.

3. 3

   Heat the pan

   Wipe out the skillet, add a small knob of butter, and heat over medium heat until the butter foams and just starts to brown slightly.

4. 4

   Pour and arrange

   Pour a generous ladle of batter into the pan, swirling to coat the bottom thinly and evenly. Immediately scatter a portion of the sautéed apples over the surface.

5. 5

   Cook and flip

   Cook 2-3 minutes until the edges are golden and lacy and the underside releases easily. Flip carefully in one motion and cook 1-2 minutes more until the apple side is set.

6. 6

   Serve immediately

   Slide onto a plate, dust with powdered sugar, and drizzle with stroop or maple syrup. Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes warm in a low oven.

Variations

• •

  Bacon version: add crisp bacon lardons to the batter for a classic sweet-savory Dutch combination.

• •

  Ginger version: swap cinnamon for a mix of cinnamon and a pinch of ground ginger for a spicier warmth.

• •

  Savory swap: skip the apples and sugar and fill with grated cheese and mushrooms instead for a dinner-style pannenkoek.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked pancakes stacked with parchment between them up to 2 days. Reheat in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for about a minute per side to re-crisp the edges.

Frequently Asked Questions