Brunch is my absolute, most-favorite meal of any special weekend. Although it doesn’t happen often, I never forget the cozy feeling of enjoying an in-between breakfast and lunch experience, usually after an early morning workout or a non-planned sleep-in session with my husky.

While Springer and I can easily spend a small fortune paying for culinary experiences elsewhere, we definitely enjoy “throwing-down” in our kitchens and taking hearty-favorites to a whole new, healthy level.

Over the next few weeks, the Eat Life Whole duo will be settling-in to embrace fun moments with family and friends. And we encourage you to do the same. If you are anxious about “holiday eating,” we highly recommend you check-out our blog (or Holiday Eats Seasonal Guide) for an inspirational recipe or two. It is NOT about deprivation. It IS about enjoying foods that taste delicious WHILE supporting your life-long goal to eat life whole.

This light and sweet pancake is no traditional pancake. Instead of slaving over the stove, you’ll begin the recipe by sautéing peeled apple slices with a bit of ghee (or butter) and cinnamon. The egg and milk based batter (which has a higher liquid content than regular batter) is poured over the apples and baked to golden-perfection. While original dutch baby pancakes use white flour and loads more butter, I kept it lighter by using a protein-rich almond meal/flour as the primary dry ingredient and a few-less tablespoons of ghee. With about 10 minutes prep and 20 minutes cook-time, you’ll be ready to enjoy this special treat after smelling the warm, cinnamon apples fill your kitchen.

Enjoy this gluten-free, low-in-sugar, simple treat.

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a cast iron skillet, sauté 2 peeled apple slices in 2 tablespoons of the ghee (or butter) and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
3. While the apples are sautéing, prepare the batter by beating the eggs in a large bowl. Add the milk and coconut sugar until thoroughly combined.
4. Sift the almond and rice flours and add to the liquid mixture. Add the nutmeg, cloves, sea salt, and remaining cinnamon. Continue to whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
5. Once the apples are soft, remove them with a spoon and place in a side dish. Add the remaining tablespoon of ghee (or butter) to coat the skillet and beautifully arrange the apples in one thin layer.
6. Pour the batter on top of the apples and carefully place the skillet in the oven.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Your dough may puff up and slowly sink as it cooks.
8. Slice and serve with a few sprinkles of cinnamon, maca root powder, or confectioners sugar.

Serves 4-6.