I never thought I would be one of those annoying bloggers who starts out a post with an apology: “sorry, everyone, I know I haven’t posted anything in a long time, it’s just that I’ve been so busy and I’ve had to prioritize and blogging kind of got put on the back burner…” why would anyone want to hear that their writer had not prioritized their all-important audience, hanging on their every post, checking their email inbox every day and wiping tears from their eyes when they failed to see a new post notification from their favorite blog? How could any good blogger openly admit to letting his or her readers down like that? More importantly, how could anyone fail to find the time to blog?

Well, now I know. I guess this fall has been my rite of passage into the adult world: I’ve been so busy with life, school, deadlines that I am finally in the position to say: these past few weeks I have relegated my blogging to the back burner. I feel like a student turning in a paper a month late – I hope everyone out there who depends on my amazing recipes can mercifully grant me half-credit for my efforts.

Half is better than nothing, no? And you won’t want to settle for a half-serving of this baked pancake. As my first attempt at making this type of breakfast treat, I declare the results earn an A for deliciousness. A thick, soft giant pancake serves as the adorable vehicle for a topping of microwave “baked” apple and crispy crunchy cereal topping, all infused with honey to make life sweet and glycemic indexes reasonably low.

In terms of health, this pancake is a great alternative to the sickening sweets that tend to beckon when life is stressful, deadlines abound, and plastic-wrapped pastries look like destiny in the beaming fluorescent lights at the convenience store. It is sweetened naturally with honey and the natural sugars locked in the Gala apple. The crispy topping consists of less processed, whole grain cereal to compliment the wholesome whole wheat flour used in the pancake. The butter typically found in pancakes has been replaced with creamy peanut butter, a healthy fat that also lends a faint nuttiness to the taste. Feel free to try almond butter or any other healthy, natural nut butter that appeals to you.

A multitude of reasons make this recipe awesome. For one, it utilizes the delicious seasonal produce and traditional fall flavors of cranberries, apples and cinnamon. Furthermore, the recipe is easy and not too time-consuming: you could almost make it in the morning before rushing off to a busy day at school or work! (Almost.) Or, take some time to slow down, relax, and whip up a wonderful and nutritious treat in your spare time. Remember, there’s more to life than work and deadlines. Really, there is. Right?

Baked Apple Crisp Pancake

Makes one 9″ round pancake (about 8 one-slice servings)

Ingredients:

pancake batter

• 3 tbs creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup plain almond milk
• 2 eggs (or egg substitute equivalent)
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp salt
• pinch cinnamon

apple topping

• 1 large Gala apple
• 1 tbs honey
• 2 tbs dried cranberries
• 2 tbs Sunmaid brand mixed jumbo raisins
• dash cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg
• 1/4 cup Post brand Great Grains Crunchy Pecans cereal

Directions:

For pancake: preheat oven to 425 Fahrenheit. Spray a 9″ pie pan with nonstick spray.

Melt peanut butter in microwave.

In a large bowl, combine all pancake batter ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Batter will be a bit lumpy.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake for about 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the “baked apple” mixture: roughly dice Gala apple. Place in medium, microwave-safe bowl, with other apple mixture ingredients. Cover; microwave for about a minute and 25 seconds or until apple pieces are soft.

Put it all together: when pancake has finished baking, distribute apple mixture evenly over the top of the pancake. Sprinkle with Great Grains cereal.

Serve warm, possibly with frozen Greek pumpkin yogurt…’tis the season!

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