Pumpkin Pancakes: The Picture of Health (Really!)



Maybe you weren’t convinced after my last post to try the mushroom stew over pumpkin pancakes, but even if that was the case, you should really consider trying each of these recipes separately. With the stew, the pancakes didn’t taste nearly as pumpkin-y as they did when I had the leftovers on their own, or as they did when I made them a second time just the other week. It’s nice to have a festive pancake recipe that really is relatively healthy, since pancakes might be one of my all-time favorite treats.

In making these, I’ve substituted white whole wheat flour for the whole wheat pastry flour, and the maple syrup for the honey since I think it gives it an added layer of fall. A little nutmeg might really make it pop. With the more savory topping of the stew, the pumpkin blended into the dish, which was nice; it came out a little more when I ate it topped with a lightly sweetened homemade cranberry sauce. When cooking them, just remember that less is more – they rise as they cook and if you make them too big/thick, you’ll never get the insides to be anything but wet, batter-y mush – and to err on the side of low heat and slightly longer cooking times.

I’m still looking for the perfect regular pancake recipe (since I’m currently still in denial that all of those truly great diner pancakes are made with anything but copious amounts of butter and a hearty dash of sugar), but for now, these certainly hit the spot.



Pumpkin Oat Pancakes, adapted from Mother Rimmy’s Cooking Light Done Right
Yield: 6-8 pancakes (approximately 2-4 servings)

The Ingredients
1 ¼ cups white whole wheat flour
½ cup oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons maple syrup
6 tablespoons egg whites
¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk1
1 teaspoon cinnamon

The Method
Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking powder and baking soda) in a large bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients until well combined.

Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick griddle over medium heat, and add four ¼-½ cup-fulls of batter to the pan. Lower the heat to medium low and cook until the pancake just starts to bubble, 5-6 minutes. Flip, curse since this is the first batch and they all fall to pieces, and cook the other side until cooked through, approximately 5-6 minutes more. Repeat for the rest of the batch, without the cursing because the pan is now finally cooperating.2

Notes:
1You can also use low-fat milk, or likely whatever milk alternative you prefer.
2I don’t know why pancake griddles insist on ruining the first batch, but since I always make a larger batch of pancakes than I need, my first 1-2 batches are for the freezer, anyway. That way, I can warm up the griddle and still have the hottest, most recently cooked pancakes for serving immediately rather than worrying about keeping all of them warm while the rest cook.






 


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