Pumpkin Pancakes

Hello everyone, and happy fall.... I'm bringing you a recipe that is perfect for a cool, autumn morning. I love to make these pumpkin pancakes on an October weekend. Invite some friends or family over for brunch, and serve them with sausage links and hot coffee. They are a family-favorite, and my kids look forward to them every year. The kitchen smells heavenly when these are on the griddle!

Here's the recipe:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1-1/2 cups milk (I used 1%)
1 cup pumpkin puree
4 eggs, separated
1/4 cup melted butter (You can use light butter if you wish.)

Preheat a griddle to medium-high. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, yolks, pumpkin, and butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry just until combined - do not over-mix. Beat the egg whites until you get stiff peaks. Then gently fold the whites into the pancake batter.

Pour by ladlefuls onto a hot griddle, sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Cook until you see bubbles form and the edges of the pancakes look rounded and firm. Flip the pancakes, and cook them for 1 - 2 minutes longer, or until cooked through.

You should get about 15 to 18 pancakes, depending on size. (I make mine about 4".)

Enjoy!

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Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes

This is our favorite pancake recipe... I often make it on the weekend, and we eat the leftovers during the week - cold! I would never think to eat a pancake cold, but for some reason, these are great just right out of the fridge. They are light, fluffy, and tender... and, if you leave out the chocolate chips (why anyone would do that, I have no idea, but it can be done, lol), they contain no sugar. This recipe makes a big batch - about 22 to 24 pancakes, depending on how big you pour them. You can swap out the chocolate chips for berries, or as I mentioned, just make them plain. Enjoy!

Here is what you need:

• 6 eggs
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3 c. buttermilk
• 3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. mini chocolate chips

Preheat a griddle to medium high heat. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a whisk, beat until frothy.

Add the buttermilk and flour. Stir until all the flour is moistened. The mixture will be lumpy - do not try to beat out all the lumps.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spray griddle with cooking spray. Ladle the batter onto the medium-hot griddle. Cook until bubbles form and the edges of the pancakes look partially cooked and rounded.

Flip them over, and cook for an additional minute or two; or until lightly browned.

Repeat with remaining batter. Serve hot with butter and syrup. Store leftovers in the fridge - they are good hot or cold!

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Gingerbread Pancakes

I found this wonderful recipe on the Taste of Home website (tasteofhome.com) and just had to try it. We all loved it! The pancakes were light and fluffy and had just the right amount of gingerbread flavor. They are perfect for breakfast on a snow day!

• 1 Cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• pinch of ground cloves (small pinch - cloves can be over-powering)
• 1 Cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 2 Tablespoons molasses
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

In a bowl, combine the first eight ingredients, set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg, molasses, and oil; then add to the dry ingredients. Use a whisk to mix just until the ingredients are combined. Do NOT overmix.... (That's a mistake a lot of people make when they cook home-made pancakes. Lumps in the batter are good - if you try to beat out every lump, you will have tough, flat pancakes. So, go ahead and whisk until the dry ingredients are combined with the wet, then put the whisk down! : )

Use a ladle to pour the batter by 1/4 cupfuls (approximately) onto a lightly greased hot griddle. (I set mine for 400 degrees and sprayed it lightly with cooking spray.) Use the back of your ladle to gently swirl the batter into a small circle.

Now is the part when things sometimes go wrong for inexperienced pancake makers. When to flip? Recipes will often say flip once you see bubbles starting to form, but you really need to wait a bit. Don't flip until you see lots of bubbles AND the edges of the pancake should look rounded and partially cooked. When they look like this:

Go ahead and flip! And this is what you should get:

Let the second side cook for a few minutes - check the underside, and when it's golden brown, the pancake is done. This recipe should give you between 8 - 10 medium-sized pancakes. I doubled this recipe with no adjustments and it worked just fine. With doubling, I got 18 pancakes and fed my two kids, one of their friends, and myself with leftovers. Enjoy!!

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