Pumpkin Pancakes

Usually when I make "pumpkin pancakes" I throw a few spoonfuls of pumpkin puree into my normal 100% whole wheat pancakes. It adds a little vitamin A to our lives, which is sometimes woefully needed, but it doesn't otherwise add anything really special to our lives, like amazing taste. Fortunately for you, this recipe does.

This recipe came from my friend Pilar. It's one of those recipes that you make and love, but that is a little more than the absolute minimum you usually do for breakfast so you kind of forget about it. And then one day you stumble upon it and wonder why it's been so long since you made it. And then you make it and you really wonder what your darn problem was all those months because these are really good. Yes, that type of recipe.

P.S. Aren't those pictures up top nice. I assure you that that's how my table always looks--with, um, breezes blowing in from the seaside and stuff. The following pictures of a table a family actually ate at are not at all representative of what my table/house look like on pancake morning (or any other morning for that matter).

This isn't my floor on pancake morning either. I swear it. My floor is always clean. In fact, I'm perfectly confident that there isn't popcorn left from lunch all over it right now as I type this. Definitely not.

Pumpkin Pancakes
Makes 15-20 4-inch pancakes
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes for the whole lot, but only about 4 minutes per pan of pancakes
Cost: $1.69
(whole wheat flour: .20, flour: .10, brown sugar: .05, eggs: .20, evaporated milk: .79, pumpkin puree: .30, other stuff: .05)

1 C all-purpose flour
1 C whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk (you can sub in regular milk, but the evaporated milk do give the pancakes a little more richness so if you've got some or it's in your budget you might want to splurge a bit)
1/2 C pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional)

In large bowl, combine eggs, milk, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla.

Stir in dry ingredients. Mix well, but don't get your batter completely smooth (a few lumps in your pancake batter are a good thing, especially if you like fluffy pancakes). Note: These make thick pancakes. If you want them less thick, add more milk or forego the canned milk and use regular or do both.

Pour onto lightly greased griddle (at medium heat). Turn when bubbles form or when the bottom of your pancake is golden brown.

We served it with homemade maple syrup, though apple syrup and walnut syrup are supposed to be really awesome with it as well. Oh, and I threw about 4 dark chocolate chips into each pancake, just for some extra Sunday morning specialness.

These are best on the first day, but they do keep for a day or two and warm up into a pretty good leftover pancake.

PRINTABLE RECIPE