Pumpkin Pancakes with Pecans and Maple Syrup

I don’t make pancakes often (even though I really like them!) and have a really good recipe from Cook’s Magazine, but when I want an even quicker pancake for the two of us, I like using Trader Joe’s pancake mix.  I made some pumpkin muffins last week and had a cup of pumpkin puree leftover so I froze it.  To make these delicious flavors of fall pancakes, I thawed the pumpkin puree and added it to the pancake batter along with some quintessential fall spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves and topped it off with real maple syrup and toasted pecans.  I have a pancake batter dispenser that I like to use and it makes perfectly round pancakes.  I also use it for thinner cupcake batters to fill the cupcake liners.  One tip to making a fluffy pancake is to make sure the batter is quite thin.  It should be the consistency of heavy cream and you can add a little milk or water to thin it out.  I usually make a little test pancake and drop 1-2 tablespoons of batter in the skillet and cook until lightly browned.  This allows you to check to make sure the batter is the right consistency and you can add a little milk or water if the pancake is too doughy and you have the right temperature.  If you are making a large batch of pancakes, you might have to thin the batter out because the batter thickens a little as it sits.  Another tip is to only flip the pancakes when the edges of the pancake become dull and the bubbles forming from under the pancake are almost breaking on the surface.  Don’t peak until you are quite sure it needs flipping! If the pan seems to be getting too hot, remove it from the burner and allow it to sit a minute before placing it back on the heat to regulate the skillet heat (if you have an electric stove).  I only use a nonstick pan to make pancakes because that is one less potential problem and I often wish I had an electric nonstick griddle.  Maybe Santa will bring one this year!  If you are making pancakes for a lot of people, preheat the oven to 250 and place a baking rack on a baking sheet.  When the pancakes are cooked, place them on the rack and cover with foil and keep them warm in the oven until you serve them.  If you want to get a little fancy, add maple syrup, raisins and pecans to a small saucepan and bring to a slow simmer to heat the sauce to plump the raisin and transfer to a serving pitcher. Otherwise, just pour and sprinkle everything on top.  Click here for the recipe….