Thin, oversized Dutch pancakes studded with sautéed apple and warmed with cinnamon, cooked skillet-style.
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.
Serves 4
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Rest the batter for at least 15 minutes — it relaxes the gluten and makes the pancakes noticeably less rubbery.
Use a well-seasoned or nonstick 25-26cm skillet; the size determines how thin and evenly the batter spreads.
Sauté the apples separately before adding them to the batter, or raw apple slices will release water and make the pancake soggy.
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.
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.
Pannenkoeken have been part of Dutch home cooking for centuries and remain a common dinner food across the Netherlands rather than strictly a breakfast dish, typically served whole on a plate with sweet or savory toppings rather than stacked American-style.
It shouldn't be — pannenkoeken batter is meant to be thin, close to heavy cream consistency, thinner than standard American pancake batter. If it's too thick, whisk in more milk a tablespoon at a time.
Yes, it keeps well covered in the fridge for up to a day; just give it a good whisk before using since the flour will settle.
Stroop is a thick, dark Dutch syrup made from sugar beets or apples, similar in role to golden syrup — maple syrup is a reasonable substitute if you can't find it.
Per serving (260g / 9.2 oz) · 4 servings total
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