Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

It officially falls time! Well, maybe not officially, but the start of September is good enough for me. With it comes pumpkin spice everything, from coffees to pastries.

We had to jump into the fall trend and present a quintessential fall recipe. With honey in peak season, September, and pumpkin patches starting to pop up, it's a fall mix made in foodie heaven.

Pancakes are generally easy to make, nothing too complicated. And mixes are even easier, though they are essentially flour and a few other ingredients mixed. This recipe is no different!

We do add some science to it, though. As with any baking, there is science involved. To get a rise out of this pancake, two processes are involved. Baking powder is a chemical leavener, of course, but there are also mechanical leaveners that we must employ.

Pumpkin is naturally relatively dense and heavy; pick a can of pumpkin puree, and you'll see what I mean. As such, we want as much rise as we can get. Eggs are naturally very good as this. The mechanical leavener in this situation comes from whipping the egg whites until they are very light and fluffy. It is essentially adding air to the pancakes.

Whipping egg whites can be used in any baking to help promote an extra rise. When you cook these pancakes, you'll see a few more bubbles than usual because of all the hard work from whipping air into the yokes. Why wouldn't we whip the batter, so air gets into it? If we mix the four too much, we run the risk of it becoming too incorporated or even the risk of gluten development!

Back to the fun stuff, though. The spices! When you make the batter, it'll smell like a pumpkin pie... and I love pumpkin pie, so this was a real treat. Pumpkin has a flavor, but the spices and a warm fall touch it. You can even experiment with the spices; just make sure they are warm baking spices and not something such as cayenne.

There are also a few toppings I recommend. Maple syrup is, of course, essential, but I also recommend honeycomb. If you've never had the pleasure of trying it, I highly recommend it. It tastes like honey, of course, but it has a unique texture. Plus, honey is peak season during September, so now is the time to try it! Most grocery stores should have it.

I also recommend whip cream. You can read more about the ins and outs of whip cream here. But I essentially took roughly a cup and a half of heavy whipping cream, roughly three tablespoons of sugar, and a dash of cinnamon and made an excellent fall cinnamon whip cream. I tend not to measure ingredients when I make whip cream. Instead, I add all my ingredients together, whip it up, and during the soft peak stage, I taste it and adjust it as necessary for it to be perfect when it reaches stiff peaks.

This recipe is delicious and quintessential for anyone who loves fall. Easy, tasty, and sure to become a family favorite. With pumpkin, fall spices, and honey, one taste, and you'll be in foodie heaven. Enjoy this recipe from my kitchen to yours.

Cheers

Chef Olson