The Best Oatmeal Pancakes with Apple Compote

Serve these with a generous helping of Apple Compote. It’s best to make the compote first. If it finishes cooking before the pancakes are ready you can just turn the burner off and cover until you’re ready to use it.

Apple Compote

This is the perfect accompaniment to Oatmeal Pancakes. Use your favorite variety of apple. I’m partial to Empire apples when I can find them. Pink Ladies work very well too. Granny Smith is the only variety I wouldn’t recommend – too tart.
 

Ingredients

• 2 apples, cut into slices ½” wide
• ¼ cup of raisins
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 cinnamon stick

Method

• Put all the ingredients into a small saucepan, cover and simmer on low, stirring regularly until enough moisture has been extracted from the apples to prevent sticking. Continue to simmer on low until the apples are soft, about 15-20 minutes.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 Cup rolled oats
• 1 ½ Cup plant milk
• 2 Tablespoons flax seed
• ½ Cup whole wheat flour
• 1 Tablespoon date sugar
• 1 Teaspoon baking powder
• ½ Teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch Kala Namak* (optional)

Method

• You’ll get the best results if you use rolled oats that haven’t been cut up for quick cooking. They’re sometimes referred to as “old-fashioned oats.”
• Mix the flax seeds, oats, and plant milk together in a bowl and stir. Set it aside for about 10 minutes while you assemble the dry ingredients. The oats and flax need to soak a bit, but not too long. Over-soaking the oats will result in gooey pancakes.
• Mix the dry ingredients, whole wheat flour, date sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and the optional Kala Namak in a separate bowl.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix gently until all the flour has been absorbed. The mixture will be a little dense.
• Bake on either a non-stick or lightly oiled skillet on medium heat. I prefer to cook my pancakes on cast iron. Put a few drops of oil on the hot pan and wipe – careful not to burn yourself – with a paper towel to evenly spread the oil and wipe off any excess. See my note about oil and cooking surfaces below**
• Spoon ⅓ cup of batter onto the hot pan using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round pancake.
• Cook until the surface of the pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, and the edges are just slightly dried out. Flip with a spatula and cook until browned on the underside, another 2 or 3 more minutes. Wipe the pan again with the oily paper towel and continue with the remaining batter.
• Serve with a generous spoonful of Apple Compote.

Makes 6 pancakes using ⅓ cup of batter for each one.

*Kala Namak is also known as Indian Black Salt. You can get it in an Indian Grocery or online. 

** This recipe doesn’t have any oil in the pancake itself. However you must either cook them on a non-stick surface or lightly oil the pan. Personally I prefer to put a few drops of oil on a cast iron griddle and then wipe it off with a paper towel. I haven’t made this choice lightly. The Environmental Working Group has determined that not even a small amount of non-stick chemical is safe. You can read more about it here.