Pumpkin Pancakes

This blog has turned orange lately.  Most of my recent recipe posts have somehow involved sweet potato and pumpkin.  While it seems repetitive, there are so many delicious uses for these seasonal veggies that are extra delicious and extra affordable right now.  Why not eat up?

I first tried these pumpkin pancakes out on my niece and nephews.  I was babysitting them for several days in a row.  One night a few days in, we were ALL missing their mom and dad.  These pancakes for dinner helped us all find a happier place.  And then I proceeded to make them over and over for my own family when I got home.  They are very simple and definitely take pancakes up several notches.  Drop by my house on Thanksgiving morning, and you’ll find these on the breakfast table.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pancakes (Makes about 14 pancakes)

1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 ¼ cups skim milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 ¼ cups white whole wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1. Combine pumpkin, milk, oil, egg, and brown sugar in a bowl. Whisk until well combined.

2. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add to pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over mix.

3. Spoon/pour about ¼ cup at a time on a lightly greased griddle over medium heat. Cook until golden brown on each side. Serve with syrup and fresh fruit.

Nutritional Information (Amount per Pancake):

Calories: 94
Protein: 3 g
Fat: 4 g
Saturated Fat: less than .5 g
Cholesterol: 14 mg
Carbohydrates: 13 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sodium: 69 mg

Recipe Notes: I encourage you to actually mix wet and dry ingredients in two separate bowls and then combine. But I would be dishonest if I didn’t admit that I generally measure the dry ingredients straight into the wet. I hate the thought of pancakes taking more than one bowl. And they turn out just fine. BUT, I do think I then have to mix the batter a little bit more. Just keeping it real. This is a bit wetter than regular pancake batter, so they take a little longer to cook. The end result is more moist than traditional pancakes, and it may seem like you undercooked them. I would estimate you cook the first side about twice as long as a regular pancake before flipping.

Also, if you hate only using part of a can of pumpkin, you do 1.5 times everything using a whole can of pumpkin, which leads to some odd amounts. Here is what I did:

1 can pumpkin
1 ⅞ cups skim milk (go about halfway between the 1 ¾ and 2 cup marks on the measuring cup)
¼ cup canola oil
2 eggs
¼ cup brown sugar (slightly heaping)
1 ⅞ cups white whole wheat flour (measure out 2 cups and then take out 2 tablespoons)
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
heaping ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
heaping ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
heaping ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Source: slightly adapted from online