Instructions — Pancakes

1. Cook the apple: melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apple, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and cook 8–10 minutes until very soft. Mash lightly and set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. In another bowl, whisk the milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined — lumps are fine. Fold in the cooled apple. Let the batter rest 10 minutes.
4. Heat a buttered griddle or skillet over medium-low. Pour about ¼ cup of batter per pancake. Cook until bubbles form on top and the edges look set, about 2–3 minutes, then flip and cook 2 minutes more. Keep warm on a rack in a 200°F oven while you finish the batch.

Instructions — Apple Cider Syrup

1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, simmer the apple cider until reduced to about ¾–1 cup, around 10 minutes.
2. Whisk in the brown and granulated sugars until dissolved, then stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice.
3. Stir the cornstarch and cold water together into a slurry, whisk it into the syrup, and simmer 1–2 minutes until just thickened and glossy. It thickens more as it cools, so don’t overdo it.
4. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla and butter until smooth. Serve warm over the pancakes, topped with walnuts if you like.