Pumpkin Pancakes

photo from www.thecurvycarrot.com

The perfect fall breakfast. Or Lunch. Or Dinner. Or Bedtime snack. Basically I make a big batch and we eat them all day long - warm or cold these are delicious! I claim very little credit for the finished product. The recipe is mostly one I got from my friend Holly (I just made a couple of slight changes and then, only because altering recipes is a disease with me.) The pictures I found online. I'm always too busy eating them to remember take a picture! So, read through the recipe and then make them. Go! Now!

PUMPKIN PANCAKES

2 c. flour (part whole wheat flour adds a nice flavor)
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice (or 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon & 1/2 tsp nutmeg)

2 eggs, seperated
2 c. plain yogurt
2/3 c pumpkin puree (I use actual baked pumpkin, mashed, but I won't judge you too harshly for using the canned stuff. But you really should just bake a pumpkin and make some of these, and a pie, and some pumpkin pie bars. A little three-pounder goes a long way.)
1/4 c melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix dry ingredients together in bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, yogurt, pumpkin, melted butter, and vanilla. In a third bowl, whisk your egg whites until stiff. (It's not absolutely necessary to do this to the egg whites - the original recipe just has you mix the whole eggs in with the liquids. HOWEVER, beaten egg whites make these lighter and fluffier when they tend to be a bit dense.) Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined. The batter will be thick, like muffin batter. Add beaten egg whites and fold into batter. Spoon onto a skillet heated to medium heat, or maybe even medium low. I usually use about 1/4 c batter per pancake. I find they cook better (read: all the way through) if I make them smaller and cook them on a lower heat. They won't bubble like traditional pancakes, so watch them to see when to flip.

Serve them with butter and warm maple syrup for a taste of fall heaven! OR
Mix in a bag of chocolate chips and serve them with nutmeg whipped cream (whipping cream, vanilla, ground nutmeg) OR
Snack on the cold leftovers just plain. . . you get the picture!

photo from www.recipematcher.com

Enjoy!