Applesauce Pancakes

June is breathing down our necks and I can feel the summer shift at the hospital — different energy, more admits, people who put off scans all winter finally coming in, which means the oncology floor is about to get heavy. I prepped for it this week the way I always do: extra coffee, extra sleep (ha), and one really good cry in the shower on Monday for no particular reason except that sometimes you need to empty out before you can fill up again.

Meghan came over Wednesday night and we cooked together — something we haven't done since college, when "cooking together" meant adding hot sauce to ramen noodles in our dorm. This time we attempted Maureen's pot roast. Meghan is a competent cook in the way that lawyers are competent at everything — methodical, precise, following the recipe like a legal brief. I cook more like Maureen — instinct, feel, "a little more of this." Between us, we produced a pot roast that was genuinely excellent. We ate it with bread and butter and a bottle of wine and talked about everything except work, which is our rule for sister nights. We talked about Sean D. (Meghan approves, firmly), about Brian (they're good, they're always good), about Da's retirement timeline (Maureen won't discuss it), and about whether we'll ever stop being Southie girls no matter how far we go. We won't. We know that. It's not a limitation. It's a foundation.

Sean D. had end-of-year chaos at Boston Latin — grading finals, writing recommendation letters, doing the thousand things teachers do that nobody sees. I brought him dinner Thursday — leftover pot roast in a Tupperware, because feeding people is my love language and I got it from Maureen and I'm not sorry about it. He ate it at his desk surrounded by stacks of AP History exams and said, "Marry me," with his mouth full, and I laughed because he was joking, except the look in his eyes said he wasn't entirely joking, and my heart did something complicated that I'm going to think about later. Much later. Over pancakes, probably.

Saturday pancakes at Sean D.'s. He burned the first one. I stole a blueberry. Sunday at the three-decker. Maureen made fish and chips. Da fell asleep in his chair after dinner. All is well. All is exactly as it should be.

That “marry me” look — the one I’m filing away to think about over pancakes — I’ve been thinking about it all week, which means it was definitely pancake time. Applesauce pancakes specifically, because they’re the kind of thing that feels like a Sunday morning should: warm, a little sweet, unhurried. Sean D. burned the first one and I didn’t say a word, and somehow that felt important. Here’s how I make mine.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4 (about 12 pancakes)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 large egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Butter or neutral oil, for the griddle
Maple syrup, for serving

Instructions

Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until evenly combined.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, applesauce, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until just combined — a few lumps are fine. Do not overmix or the pancakes will be tough. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes while the griddle heats.
Heat the griddle. Warm a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add a small knob of butter or a light film of oil and let it melt and coat the surface. The pan is ready when a drop of water flicked onto it skitters and evaporates immediately.
Cook the pancakes. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto the griddle, leaving room for spreading. Cook until bubbles form across the surface and the edges look set, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the second side until golden, 1 to 2 minutes more. The first pancake may cook unevenly as the pan finds its temperature — this is normal and expected.
Keep warm and serve. Transfer finished pancakes to a plate in a low oven (200°F) while you cook the remaining batter. Serve warm with maple syrup and, if you like, a handful of fresh blueberries.

Nutrition (per serving)

Applesauce Pancakes — The Ones Worth Thinking About Later