Mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside
Melt ¼ butter in a microwave and set aside to let cool up to room temperature
Mix the pancake batter
In a large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, milk, eggs, and grated apple.
In a separate large bowl. whisk together the flour, baking powder, 3 tablespoons of sugar and one teaspoon of cinnamon.
Combine the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until all of the ingredients are well incorporated. Set aside and let this batter rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
Heat your griddle or skillet on the stovetop to medium heat. Add a bit of oil to the pan, and then slowly pour the batter to form pancake circles (or pour into pancake rings if you are using them). Watch the pancakes carefully and when bubbles start to form, carefully use a wide spatula to flip each pancake over. Place cooked pancakes on a plate while you make the rest of the batter.
Brush each pancake with a bit of the melted & cooled butter. Sprinkle with your prepared cinnamon sugar. Set aside while you make the apple topping.
Using the same griddle or skillet over medium heat, gently sauté the diced green apples with a pat of butter. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes, just until the apples get a nice caramelized coating but are still a little crisp.
Top each pancake stack with some diced apples and serve with maple syrup.
Notes
Make this dairy-free: use your favorite dairy-free butter alternative and milk alternative. I've found you can substitute these easily using the same measurements and the pancakes turn out delicious!Don't skip the resting step! Setting your mixed pancake batter on the countertop to rest for 5-10 minutes before cooking allows the gluten in the flour to relax and the starch grains to swell. This results in fluffier pancakes!Make the batter ahead of time: you can mix the batter together and set it, covered, in the refrigerator overnight. Only do this if you followed the recipe and used baking powder; if you use baking soda, you cannot make this ahead of time since the active ingredients in baking soda start working right away and you'll end up with flat pancakes the next day.