Apple Oat Pancakes

I've gotta tell you, I'm an oatmeal person. Add oats to anything and I'm happy. With that said, it's a delicate balance to cook with oats because while they're a great alternative to flour, if not done well, you can wind up with cookies that are like hockey pucks. This was a bit of an experiment but they're soooo good! Just throw everything in a blender and heat up that skillet!

Ingredients:
2 cups apple sauce
2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 eggs
4 Tbls coconut oil, melted
2 Tbls baking powder
2 tsp maple syrup (or honey)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups grated or diced apple (I used Granny Smith)


Directions:

1. Add all of the ingredients except for the apple to the blender. Blend until the batter is completely smooth. Scrap down the sides as needed and blend again.

2. Stir in the apple but don't over-mix. (Feel free to adjust the cinnamon at this point - I tend to go a little lighter to start when I'm trying out a new recipe since you can always add more. Otherwise, feel free to throw in a little nutmeg/apple pie spice if you prefer them to cinnamon.)

3. Heat a large skillet/non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Lightly oil the pan and once hot, add batter to pan. The batter is thick so be aware that your pancakes won't cook through if they're too thick. You may need to spread the batter out a bit so they're no thicker than 1/2". Let the pancakes cook for about 3 min. before flipping. These are definitely the kind of pancakes that you want to cook low and slow. Flip them when the underside is golden brown.

They taste great right out of the pan or you can bag them up to pop in the fridge and reheat during the week or freeze them for down the road. Enjoy!