Quite a breakfast gets jump-started with Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Pancakes

When you have a little punkin in the house, the best thing to do is to stir up some Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Pancakes. At least that’s what we thought this past weekend when a little one was present for some grandparent fun time.

We also had some pumpkin puree, too, from a farmer’s-market find. Nothing to do but to get those pancakes quickly turning golden on the pancake grill.

I liked this recipe from the online site, acozykitchenprintablerecipes. It specified that you dot on the chocolate chips once the pancake batter was starting to cook on the griddle (instead of stirring the chips into the batter before scooping it on to cook). This made the chocolate chips more evenly spaced (and more decorative and apparent to the diners, especially the little one).  

We had ourselves quite a breakfast! I’m telling you, these were terrific.

Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup buttermilk, shaken

1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)

1/2 tablespoons of butter, melted and cooled slightly

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a measuring cup (or small bowl) measure out the buttermilk. Add the egg and lightly beat. Next mix in the pumpkin puree until it is completely blended. Pour in the slightly cooled melted butter; mix some more. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. The batter should have some small-to-medium lumps. Heat up your griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium low heat and brush with 1 tablespoon of butter. Scoop the batter, using a 1/4-cup measure, to the warm skillet. Top each pancake with desired amount of chocolate chips. Cook until small bubbles form on the surface of the pancake; then flip. Cool on opposite side for about 40 seconds or until golden brown. Transfer done pancakes to a baking sheet. Place them in oven to keep warm. Proceed with the rest of the pancakes until you’ve gone through all the batter. (Makes about 10 pancakes.) Serve with warm maple syrup. (Source: acozykitchenprintablerecipes)

Pumpkin pancakes that jump-started our outdoor planting agenda never go out of season

The plastic container I set out to defrost clearly was marked “Beef Broth”. I had made my broth from scratch and needed it now for a recipe that called for beef stock to be added.

But when I pulled back the lid after the container had thawed, what I uncovered was anything but broth. It was pumpkin puree—stored in the freezer after I had cooked the innards of all my Thanksgiving pumpkins late last fall. I had failed to change the label on the container that long ago had held something else.

Wow, here we were in springtime, with thoughts far away from autumnal dishes. Yet Hubby is no respector of seasons where pumpkin pancakes are concerned. What would get his Saturday morning of garden work off to a grand start better than pumpkin pancakes on the griddle? My surprise defrost of pumpkin puree found a home. Soon Hubby trailed in, lured by the aroma of one of his favorite breakfasts being flipped out onto warm plates. The delighted look on his face told me this serendipity of finding pumpkin puree instead of beef broth in the airtight plastic bowl was a fortunate find.

After all, as I’ve mentioned before, I couldn’t maintain this blog without Hubby’s extreme willingness to dash off to the supermarket at a moment’s notice to track down an emergency ingredient or to interview countless grocery clerks as to the whereabouts of some obscure (to us) item such as wonton wrappers. Anything I can do to say thanks to my helpful Hubby, I’m glad to do.

Those pumpkin pancakes, unexpected on my agenda, paved the way for our weekend’s planting of cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, strawberries, blueberry and blackberry bushes, red peppers, and jalapenos, among other garden fare. An overnight rain was perfectly timed to get all those seeds and starts well-watered.

Delicious pumpkin pancakes that gave the weekend its boost kept us both revved up like Energizer Bunnies until the last spade of dirt was shoveled.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups pancake mix (I used fat-free Bisquick)

3 tablespoons brown sugar (If using brown-sugar substitute, such as Splenda brand, use 1 1/2

tablespoons)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 cups low-fat milk

1 cup pumpkin puree, mashed

1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)

spray oil

In a separate bowl mix together the milk, pumpkin, and egg. In another bowl mix together the pancake mix, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine. Spray oil on the griddle. Heat griddle over medium-high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the pan. Use about 1/4 cup for each pancake. Flip the pancake when the bubbles begin to pop and bottom is brown. Brown second side; serve. Makes 6 servings.