I was at dinner with some friends the other night and we were all going around the table and talking about our all-time favorite food. There were lots of answers of pizza and macaroni and cheese and pasta. There were also some votes for tacos and enchiladas. When it came around to me, my answer was easy: pancakes.

They’ve always been one of my favorite breakfast foods. And yes I’m bragging, but I’m very good at making pancakes. I can make them without a recipe. It’s probably the only baking sort of dish I can make sans recipe.

These are very fall forward, borrowing some ideas from carrot cake. I’m adding shredded apples, some walnuts and whole lot of spices. This screams fall, lazy Saturday morning. I’m super excited to share these with you all— hope you love them!

Spiced Apple Walnut Pancakes

Borrowing technique from carrot cake, these apple spiced walnut pancakes will get you in the mood for fall. (Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of Fresh Tastes)

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Honey Crisp or Golden Delicious apple, peeled and grated
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup shaken buttermilk
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Slices of butter, for serving
• Maple Syrup, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F. Place a baking sheet in the oven. This is where we’re going to put the pancakes once they’re done cooking so they stay warm. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the grated apple and walnuts; toss until the apples and walnuts are covered in flour. Set aside. 
3. In a measuring cup or small bowl, measure out the buttermilk. Whisk in the melted butter, egg and vanilla until smooth. 
4. Preheat your cast iron pan or griddle over medium heat. When warm, brush with a teaspoon or two of oil or butter. (I favor oil because it doesn’t burn but man does butter taste good.) 
5. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until you no longer see any speckles of flour. Be sure not to over mix—this will result in tough pancakes. 
6. Using a 1/4 cup measure, drop circles of batter onto your skillet.  Don’t be shy to take your spatula and help shape the pancakes into circles. 
7. Cook in batches, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the pancakes to the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Yield: 4

Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. She’s a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.