Transform Basic Pancakes Into A Fall Treat With 3 Ingredients You Already Own

When fall finally rolls around, fans of cozy autumnal flavors want to enjoy them in as many ways as possible. Breakfast can't be left out, and while you're only three ingredients away from easy pumpkin pie pancakes, you might prefer apples to squash. If so, you should transform basic pancakes by using three kitchen staples: chopped apples, cinnamon, and sugar.

Cinnamon is already a simple addition that makes all pancakes taste better, but when you pair it with sweet-tart apples and some extra sugar, you get a comforting breakfast treat that tastes like spiced apple pie. These ingredients can elevate boxed pancake mix or your favorite plain flapjack recipe in minutes. Many apple pancake recipes add 1 or  ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to the prepared batter and finely shred the apples before gently folding them in. Shredding helps fit more apples into the mixture, and the smaller the pieces are the more smoothly they incorporate into the pancakes (dicing the fruit into tiny chunks also works). Once the apples are cut, fold them into the batter along with the cinnamon and cook the pancakes.

For an easy topping, make some cinnamon sugar using the ideal ratio of ½ cup sugar to 2 tablespoons cinnamon. You can toss the sugar with more chopped apples and leave it as is or briefly sauté the mixture with a little butter to create a soft, syrupy texture. Top your pancakes with apples, sprinkle on some cinnamon sugar, and serve with butter and syrup for the perfect seasonal flapjack stack.

You can change up these easy apple cinnamon pancakes without adding much more time to your morning cooking sesh. Firstly, swapping white sugar for brown sugar in the batter and topping creates a rich flavor that's well-suited to a chilly autumn morning. To add caramelized flair to each flapjack, add your batter to the hot pan, let the pancakes cook for a minute, then sprinkle extra cinnamon sugar on top before flipping them. This creates an irresistibly sweet crust that pairs wonderfully with the soft apples within.

Another great swap is to trade the plain cinnamon for apple pie spice. This blend usually contains ground nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cardamom in addition to cinnamon and can be bought pre-mixed at grocery stores or thrown together at home. It'll make your breakfast taste even closer to a gourmet bakery treat. As for toppings, while maple syrup is comforting and fall-forward already, consider using homemade spiced simple syrup for a boost of warm flavor. Whipped cream mixed with ground cinnamon, chopped walnuts or pecans, and apple butter would also be perfect with these apple-loaded pancakes.

Lastly, for cute mini flapjacks that are also a cinch to make,​​ turn apple rings into a juicy, nutritious pancake breakfast. Just slice the fruit into rings, dip them into your cinnamon-infused pancake batter, and fry them up. These are perfect for those of us who prefer their pancakes heavier on the fruit and lighter on the batter.