Perfectly Fluffy Pumpkin Spiced Pancakes

This weekend the idea was to carb load so Chris could prepare for the Grete’s Great Gallop Sloan Kettering Half Marathon.  Even though I wasn’t running in the half marathon (I was a great cheerleader instead) I’ve never been one to say no to carbs. So we started our rainy Saturday with pumpkin pancakes. I’m not a huge fan of drinking sweet coffees (sorry for the buzzkill pumpkin spiced latte lovers) but I do love to chew things that taste like pumpkin like pumpkin pie, pumpkin loaf & now these pumpkin pancakes & drink regular flavored coffee with them. I jazzed up this recipe I found with some variations on the ingredients & the great tips I talked about here for making the fluffiest pancakes & the result was carb & flavor-tastic!

How are you celebrating with pumpkin this fall?
Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com's Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups organic milk
• 2 tablespoons organic apple-cider vinegar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 organic egg, separated
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted + extra for cooking the pancakes
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + extra for garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• maple syrup

Make it!

1. In a mixing bowl add the vinegar to the milk. Stir to together & let stand for at least 5 minutes.
2. Next, add the pumpkin, egg yolk (only) & melted butter to the soured milk mixture.
3. In another large mixing bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger & salt.
4. Stir the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients just enough to combine. Let rest for 15 minutes.
5. In another bowl whip the egg whites with either an electric mixer or use a whisk - that’s what I did. It takes a bit longer but worth the work out. Whip the egg white until stiff peaks form (after about 5-10 minutes).
6. Heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan over medium high heat.
7. Gently fold in the egg whites into the pancake batter. You should still be able to see white pieces. Don’t over mix or all your hard-earned whipping will be deflated (read: you will have thick dense pancakes instead of light fluffy ones!).
8. Using an ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup measure scoop the batter onto the griddle. The batter is pretty thick. I like to spread it out from the middle a bit to make a more even pancake.
9. Wait to flip the pancake until the batter starts to look dry around the edges & you see bubbles (popping). Then flip only once.
10. Cook for another minute on the opposite side.
11. Serve hot with maple syrup (the real stuff in our house), pats of butter, extra cinnamon for dusting & hot coffee! 
12. Store any leftover pancakes in an airtight container to enjoy later when you're dreaming of them.

holy leaning tower of pumpkin pancakes! this recipe will make you a tower of 12!!