Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Well fall has finally arrived and the days have gotten noticeably cooler. As much as I love autumn it's still sad to say goodbye to summer. It's hard to believe that it is over.  *Le sigh*

On the other hand I kind of like the cooler temperatures for sleeping. It wasn't the best year in my garden for tomatoes; they had a slow start and took a long time ripening. The plants have finally fallen from the frost we had a few nights ago. Peppers were fantastic, even though they didn't grow very big.

It's that time of year again. Time to open my first can of pure pumpkin.... today we're talking about pancakes.

There are some recipes that you always come back to, and these pumpkin spice pancakes are one of them.

Pancakes don't happen nearly as often as I'd like in our house, but when they do it's magical. After-all, breakfast is my favourite meal of the day.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes serves 2-3 (6 pancakes)

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I used pure canned)
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted (or melted butter)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 cup 2% milk

Directions:

1.  Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, egg, oil, maple syrup, and milk until very well blended.
3. With a rubber spatula, fold wet mixture into dry mixture. Add a touch more milk if the batter is too thick to pour.
4. Heat a skillet (or griddle) over medium heat. When skillet is hot, pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan.
5. Cook 3 minutes until bubbles begin to form, then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until cooked through.
6. Serve with maple syrup and cinnamon, or your favourite toppings. Maybe even a smear of maple cinnamon almond butter.

Extra Blueberry Pancakes & Fast Flavours Face Off

Let's take a minute to consider the following:

1. Pancakes are delicious.
2. Rainy days are perfect for making comforting things. Like pancakes.
3. When making pancakes it is probably best to preheat your pan first...fail!

...I wouldn't serve you burnt pancakes.

I promise.

It's seriously starting to feel like fall around here. We've had a crazy hot and dry summer. Now the pattern seems to be all about raining every weekend. Boo-Urns!

I love rainy days, but seriously, not every weekend. And while were speaking of fall, believe it or not Haliburton Ontario actually had a frost warning last week. Eep!

So to celebrate this fall weather and fall's approach I made warm comforting blueberry pancakes.

These aren't just any pancakes either. These are from Michael Smith's new cookbook Fast Flavours. Penguin Group Canada Publishers are hosting a contest for the arrival of Chef Michael's newest book. It's simple. Make one of three recipes, photograph, and share. I thought it would be great fun to enter and seeing how Michael Smith is one of my favourite celeb chefs, I rolled up my sleeves and dove right in.

I used local wild blueberries to amp up the berry flavour and antioxidants. They're also packed with tons of whole grain goodness.

Comforting + Good for you = :)

Extra-Blueberry Pancakes (serves 4)

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• 1 cup all-purpose flour                       
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups milk or water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted better
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar (or unrefined sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups blueberries

Directions:

1. Over medium-high heat, gently preheat a large skillet. 
2. In a large bowl whisk the flours, oats, baking powder, nutmeg and salt nice and evenly.
3. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl, then whisk in the milk, vegtable oil, brown sugar, and vanilla.
4. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, add the blueberries and stir to combine.
5. Add a little vegetable oil to the skillet and spoon the batter into the pan, forming pancakes. Smaller ones are easier to flip. Watch for bubbles. When the surface is dotted with holes, you're ready to flip. The second side will cook faster than the first.
6. Transfer to a plate and keep warm in the oven until you are ready to serve with the rest.
7. Serve with a small splash of pure maple syrup or nut butter.

In my family we used to put ice cream on our pancakes with maple syrup. That one was my dad's doing.

They have now been coined with the name Trennum Pancakes.