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This apple Dutch baby, or German pancake, is loaded with fresh Honeycrisp apples and topped with a homemade salted bourbon caramel sauce, making it the perfect fall breakfast.
When you think of fall fruit, there is only one thing that should come to mind – apples. So with that in mind, what better way to celebrate fall than an apple Dutch baby.
If you’ve never had a Dutch baby, you really are missing out. And before you freak out, it is actually quite easy to make. You simply whip up the ingredients in a blender and then throw in a hot skillet, letting the oven do the rest. But to really put this apple Dutch baby over the top, you have to drizzle some homemade salted bourbon caramel over top. Yes it is some extra work, but so worth it!
What Ingredients are in this Apple Dutch Baby Recipe?
- Honeycrisp apple
- Light brown, granulated and powdered sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs
- Whole milk and heavy cream
- All-purpose flour
- Vanilla extract
- Spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, salt
- Bourbon
How to Make an Apple Dutch Baby
- Preheat oven to 450°F. In medium bowl, toss apple slices with brown sugar.
- Blend on high for 1 minute or until batter is smooth.
- Remove skillet from oven and pour batter in.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes and then reduce temperature to 300°F and bake for another 5 minutes. DO NOT open oven during the first 15 minutes or the pancake might deflate. Remove when pancake is puffed and brown on top. Drizzle some caramel over it and top with whipped cream.
How to Make Salted Bourbon Caramel and Whipped Cream
- While dutch baby is baking, make the caramel. In a dry, deep skillet cook the sugar over medium-high heat. Stir constantly with rubber spatula until the sugar is melted and turns a golden caramel color.
- Remove from heat and add the chunks of butter, one at a time. Whisk until combined. The caramel will bubble from this, but that is expected.
- Slowly add the cream and whisky until everything is combined.
- Return the skillet to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes or until caramel thickens. Remove from heat and add bourbon and salt. Set aside to cool.
- In bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla extract on medium-high until medium peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.
What is a Dutch Baby?
It’s in between a pancake and Yorkshire pudding. Meaning it’s pancake batter but instead of cooking on the stove top you throw the batter in a hot skillet and cook in the oven and let it puff up like Yorkshire pudding.
Do I Have to Use Honeycrisp Apples?
No you can use whatever apple you’d like, but just keep in mind the flavor will be slightly different with every option. Jazz, Pink Lady and Gala apples are very similar to Honeycrisp. And if you want something more tart, go with Granny Smith.
What Cast Iron Skillet Do You Use?
For this apple dutch baby as well as many other recipes such as this raspberry lemon Dutch baby, I use a Lodge cast iron skillet. It’s surprisingly affordable and will last years if you take care of it.
Tips to Make an Apple Dutch Baby
- Room Temperature Ingredients: If time permits, make sure the butter, eggs and milk are room temperature.
- Mix Well: It’s important to make sure all of the ingredients are mixed well, which is why a blender works great. But you can go old school and just use a wooden spoon to mix everything.
- Preheat the Skillet: It’s important to preheat the skillet so it’s ready as soon as the batter hits the pan. This contributes to the browning on the bottom of the pancake and its rise. If you have time, let the skillet sit in a heated up oven for at least 30 minutes before adding butter, then the batter.
- Use Cast Iron: Cast iron skillets are meant for dutch babies. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, make sure you are using a pan that can go in the oven.
- Make Batter Ahead of Time: If you want a really tall pancake, make the batter ahead of time and place in airtight container in the fridge overnight. You can actually keep batter in fridge for up to 3 days before using it.
Other Breakfast Recipes
- Apple Ricotta Pancakes
- Lemon Ricotta Waffles
- Savory Dutch Baby
- Banana Oat Pancakes
- Banana Nutella Crepes
If you’ve tried this Apple Dutch Baby or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.
Apple Dutch Baby
Ingredients
Apple Dutch Baby
- 1 large Honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 4 large eggs
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Salted Bourbon Caramel
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 7 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp bourbon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Apple Dutch Baby
- Preheat oven to 450°F. In medium bowl, toss apple slices with brown sugar. Arrange apple slices in even layer in the bottom of 12" cast iron skillet. Pour 4 tbsp melted butter over apples. Place skillet in the oven for 10 minutes.
- While skillet is heating up, add remaining 2 tbsp melted butter, eggs, milk, flour, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg to blender and blend on high for 1 minute or until batter is smooth. Remove skillet from oven and pour batter in.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes and then reduce temperature to 300°F and bake for another 5 minutes. DO NOT open oven during the first 15 minutes or the pancake might deflate. Remove when pancake is puffed and brown on top. Drizzle some caramel over it and top with whipped cream.
Salted Bourbon Caramel
- While dutch baby is baking, make the caramel. In a dry, deep skillet cook the sugar over medium-high heat. Stir constantly with rubber spatula until the sugar is melted and turns a golden caramel color. Remove from heat and add the chunks of butter, one at a time. Whisk until combined. The caramel will bubble from this, but that is expected.
- Slowly add the cream and whisky until everything is combined. Return the skillet to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes or until caramel thickens. Remove from heat and add bourbon and salt. Set aside to cool.
Whipped Ricotta Cream
- In bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla extract on medium-high until medium peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.
Notes
- Room Temperature Ingredients: If time permits, make sure the butter, eggs and milk are room temperature.
- Mix Well: It’s important to make sure all of the ingredients are mixed well, which is why a blender works great. But you can go old school and just use a wooden spoon to mix everything.
- Preheat the Skillet: It’s important to preheat the skillet so it’s ready as soon as the batter hits the pan. This contributes to the browning on the bottom of the pancake and its rise. If you have time, let the skillet sit in a heated up oven for at least 30 minutes before adding butter, then the batter.
- Use Cast Iron: Cast iron skillets are meant for dutch babies. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, make sure you are using a pan that can go in the oven.
- Make Batter Ahead of Time: If you want a really tall pancake, make the batter ahead of time and place in airtight container in the fridge overnight. You can actually keep batter in fridge for up to 3 days before using it.
This was fantastic!