Apple Walnut Pancakes with Cinnamon Sour Cream

After another 10 inch snowstorm and another snow day, I was in the mood for a hearty, fatty breakfast before going out to shovel.  Bacon, and some mean apple-walnut pancakes with cinnamon sour cream on top did the trick.  It took some time to make, but the sweet-yet-subtle-pancakes, a dollop of the sour cream, a drizzle of maple syrup, and some good Neiman-Ranch thick cut bacon satisfied my craving for a fattening pre-shovel breakfast.

So, let's make sixteen 3 1/2 inch pancakes:

Ingredients for Pancakes

1 1/4 cups flour1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted, melted butter
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 apples, peeled and cored, one cut into very fine dice and one coarsely grated
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

How to Make
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla.  Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix with the whisk, stopping when everything is just combined. The batter may be a bit lumpy. Gently add the apples and walnuts.
2. Lightly butter (we use clarified butter) the skillet and preheat over medium heat.
3. Spoon 1/4 cup of batter onto the skillet for each pancake, allowing space for spreading, and use a spatula or the back of your spoon to lightly press the batter into rounds.  I suggest making them small and thin-ish so that the middle gets cooked.  When the bottoms are golden and the tops are bubbly, flip 'em over and cook until the other sides are lightly brown. Serve immediately, make however many you want! I suggest saving any leftover batter for another day.

Cinnamon Sour Cream
Makes one scrumptious batch (you may wanna make two!)

1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and mix.  Add a dollop on top of your pancakes!