Fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth, buttermilk pancakes infused with pure pumpkin and spiced with all the flavors of Fall.
One of the most stressful things about being a food blogger is narrowing down the plethora of recipe ideas floating around in my head and deciding what to post; especially during the holiday season. I have spent the last year dreaming up so many fun, festive, flavorful treats; but realistically I can only share one per week which means I only get to blog a few recipes for each holiday.
In a perfect world, I would bake with pumpkin all year round. But I will stick to the socially acceptable norm and only bombard you with pumpkin recipes during the Fall. However, be warned, I will bombard you, with all the pumpkin.
I wanted to kick off my Thanksgiving blog post extravaganza with pancakes. Why? Because breakfast is the first and most important meal of the day. (Also because for the past two years I’ve had multiple requests for a pumpkin pancake recipe and I’ve finally created one I couldn’t resist sharing.)
Since being married, I must say my pancake game has gotten pretty strong. My husband loves pancakes and requests them on quite the regular basis. So I have him to thank for mastering the flick of the wrist for that pancake flip!
I dubbed this the “perfect” pumpkin pancake recipe, not only because I’m a big fan of alliteration, but because I truly believe you will never need to hunt for another pumpkin pancake recipe again. These cakes are fluffy, moist, and full of rich, pumpkin spice flavor. They taste like grandma’s pumpkin pie and will literally melt-in-your-mouth.
Confession time. I’m a bit addicted to these pancakes. I did my recipe testing for this blog post last weekend, and after trying multiple variations (pumpkin can be a funny ingredient to work with) came up with this amazing recipe. Since that time, I have made these pancakes not once, but twice.
Can I blame it on pregnancy cravings? Basically we have been eating pumpkin pancakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And I’m totally okay with it.
These pancakes are simple to make, but have the most complex beautiful flavor.
To begin, mix up the buttermilk. You can also use buttermilk from the store; however, I prefer to make my own because when I buy a carton of buttermilk I can never seem to use it before the expiration date.
While your milk is curdling separate your eggs and place the whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the whites on medium speed until stiff peaks form.
Meanwhile, whisk together your dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another. Combine the two, mixing until just combined. Over-mixing will result in tough, chewy pancakes. Next, gently fold in those now perfectly fluffy egg whites.
Allow the batter to rest for a few minutes while you heat up your griddle or skillet. Once hot, pour on the batter, 1/4 cup at a time. I find that this makes the ideal sized pancake. Then cook for a few minutes on each side, until a lovely golden brown.
You can enjoy these pancakes so many ways. Fold in chocolate chips for a gooey surprise or add some crunch with walnuts or pecans. Or just serve them with butter and classic maple syrup. My favorite!
These pancakes are great for making all season long. If you have company staying with you over the holidays, these would be a wonderful warm treat to whip up for your guests on a cool Fall morning. Let me know when you make them, I’ll be sure to come over too.
The Recipe
*Yields 16 pancakes
1 1/2 cups milk
6 teaspoons white vinegar
2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 egg whites
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/8 cups (248 g) pure pumpkin
1. In a medium bowl, stir together milk and vinegar. Let stand for 10 minutes, mixture will begin to curdle. (You can also substitute buttermilk for this mixture).
2. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a large mixing bowl.
3. Separate the yolks from the egg whites. Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the balloon attachment. Beat egg whites on medium speed until stiff peaks form.
4. Meanwhile whisk egg yolks, butter, and vanilla into the milk mixture until it is uniform in color. Add pumpkin and mix well.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and whisk until just combined (be careful not to over mix).
6. Gently fold in egg whites and stir until no white streaks remain.
7. Let batter rest for 5-10 minutes before cooking.
8. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan. Pour batter onto cooking surface, using 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and continue cooking until the other side is golden brown.
