Warm and Cozy Holiday Breakfast – Apple Puffed Pancake Recipe With Smart & Final

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Because I am raising my own little family far away from other relatives, I work hard to uphold holiday traditions that everyone in my house enjoys. One of them is Christmas morning breakfast – I always bake an apple puffed pancake like my mother did when I was growing up. It’s more work than pouring some cereal and milk into bowls, but the house gets filled with the aroma of baking apples and butter, and the payoff is delicious. I headed to Smart & Final to stock up on the ingredients for this recipe.

The key element is granny smith apples – and the produce at Smart & Final is always fresh and colorful. Prices are great and leave room for a little something extra to add a festive flair. I like to keep it simple because my kids are so boisterous and likely to knock over pretty things. I always forget how beautiful apples can be, and how simply they make your table look beautiful.

I usually start making breakfast right after the children open their presents – they play with their new toys while I am cooking, and then we all gather at the table, flush with Christmas morning joy. This whole project takes about 45 minutes but you can prep some items ahead of time to make it go faster.

Apple Puffed Pancake

6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup flour
3 tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 lb butter
2 apples
2-3 tbs brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425. In a blender or large bowl, mix eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt and cinnamon till blended. If using a mixer, batter will remain slightly lumpy. Set aside.

Peel apples and slice them thinly. I never bother to core them. Thinner slices are better because they allow the apples to cook through.

Melt butter in a 12″ fluted porcelain quiche dish or a 13×9 baking dish in oven. Add apple slices to baking dish and stir to coat with melted butter. Return to oven until butter sizzles. Do not let brown.

Remove dish from oven and immediately pour batter over apples. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

Bake in middle of oven 20 minutes or until puffed and brown. The pancake will puff up over the edges of the dish –  it will settle down by the time you get it to the table, so make sure you call the kids over to see it when you pull it out of the oven!

Serve immediately with maple syrup, crispy bacon and berries.

The beautiful light of a Southern California December morning

Store leftovers (if any) in sealed containers in the refrigerator. Pancake warms up well in the microwave and makes a great late-night snack!

Full recipe:

6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup flour
3 tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 lb butter
2 apples, peeled & thinly sliced
2-3 tbs brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425. In a blender or large bowl, mix eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt and cinnamon till blended. If using a mixer, batter will remain slightly lumpy. Melt butter in a 12″ fluted porcelain quiche dish or a 13×9 baking dish in oven. Add apple slices to baking dish. Return to oven until butter sizzles. Do not let brown. Remove dish from oven and immediately pour batter over apples. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake in middle of oven 20 minutes or until puffed and brown.

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