Pumpkin spiced pancakes – I visited New York for the first-time last year and as a greedy person, one of the experiences I was most looking forward to was having a HUGE breakfast, particularly pancakes and smothering those pillowy-clouds with lashings of maple syrup.  So, I wanted to recreate something like that at home. I’m a breakfast person, so this is an easy sell for me, but sometimes only an indulgent breakfast will do. I also try my best not to waste food and I had some pumpkin puree to use up from another recipe so I thought why not, pumpkin pancakes it is.  Cinnamon, cloves and ginger provide a lovely warming flavour, perfect to wake you up and give you a little hug from the inside. The orange infused maple syrup was new to me but something I’ll be repeating and crunchy pecans make it the perfect way to start the day.  Gorgeous, comforting and simple, a go-to breakfast for sure.

Pumpkin spiced pancakes with orange maple syrup and toasted pecans.

Ingredients

For the pancakes –

170g pumpkin puree

125g plain flour

¼ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 egg

75ml milk

15g unsalted butter

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp maple syrup

Zest of 1 orange

Makes enough for 2-3 people

Method for pumpkin spiced pancakes

Toast a handful of pecan nuts (your choice how much) in a dry pan on a medium heat until you can smell them and they start to brown. About 5 mins. Leave to one side. (You can do this in advance and toast a large quantity and keep them in an airtight container).

Mix the maple syrup, orange zest and pumpkin puree together in a bowl.

Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly.

Sieve the dry ingredients (plain flour, salt, baking powder and spices) together in a large bowl.

Make a well in the centre and add the egg and pumpkin mixture and mix it into the flour a little.

Gradually add the milk and whisk until combined.

Add the melted butter.

Heat the frying pan.

Pour some maple syrup and juice of one orange into a saucepan and gently heat while you cook the pancakes.

Using a medium sized ice cream scoop, portion out the mixture into the pan, up to 3 spoonfuls at one time. Cook the pancakes on a low/medium heat so they cook gently, stay moist and soft and don’t colour too quickly. This will take about 3-5 minutes.

Continue until all of the pancakes have been made. To keep the pancakes warm, you can put them onto a plate in the oven on a low temperature.

Serve with the toasted pecans and orange infused maple syrup.

Still hungry for inspiration? Try my Cinnamon, oat and banana pancakes with spiced plums or maybe my Apple pie muffins

After something a little healthier? My Cardamom and vanilla baked fruit will be perfect for a light and satisfying breakfast.