Incredibly light and fluffy and so very tasty, these blinis will put a spring in your step! If you suffer from race morning nerves, you may find these blinis easier to stomach than a bowl of porridge.

To save time you can even make the batter the night before and refrigerate.

Packed with slow release sustaining carbohydrate, good quality protein to feed your muscles, heart-friendly omega 3 fats to boost both your mood and your immune system, as well as vitamins C and E and plenty of minerals, they’ll fuel your run without weighing you down. A natural sweetener from Mexico, agave nectar makes a fabulous low GI alternative to sugar and other syrups, avoiding the sugar ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ that these provide.

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: Less than 5 minutes
Cooking Time: Less than 10 minutes

You’ll need:

For the syrup:

3 tbsp agave syrup
½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
1 Pink Lady apple, unpeeled, diced into very small cubes

For the blinis:

100g self-raising wholemeal flour
50g jumbo porridge oats
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
Pinch of salt
1 large free-range egg
200ml buttermilk
2 small Pink Lady apples, unpeeled and grated (130g)
2 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil
1 tbsp water
Knob of unsalted butter, melted

What to do:

To make the syrup, combine the agave syrup, cinnamon and apple in a small saucepan and very gently heat through, without bringing to a boil. Set aside until ready to use.

To make the blinis combine the flour, porridge oats, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt in a mixing bowl.

Break the egg into a separate bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Stir in the buttermilk, the grated Pink Lady apples, 1 tablespoon of the oil and the water.

Using a metal spoon, gently combine the buttermilk mixture with the dry ingredients to make a thick batter.

Heat a pancake pan or non-stick frying pan, add just enough oil and melted butter to coat the base of the pan. Depending on the size of your pan, cook 4-5 blinis at a time over a gentle heat, using a tablespoon of batter for each one. Cook for 3-4 minutes until bubbles start to appear on the surface of each blini, then flip over and gently cook on the other side for another 3-4 minutes, until the blinis are cooked through. Repeat until you have used all the mixture.

Pile three blinis per person onto each plate, spoon over some of the spiced apple syrup and enjoy!

Submitted by www.pinkladyapples.co.uk