Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes
Posted by Ari on October 30, 2008 in Breakfast, Food History, Life | 83 Comments
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My friends, thank you for your kind comments on my last post, where I shared how my debit card number had been stolen and my bank account emptied with fraudulent purchases. Though our bank never opened an investigation despite our reporting the theft on Friday and faxing a letter of dispute to them, I’m happy to say there is a happy ending. On Tuesday, after yet another bank representative told me they couldn’t look into things until they processed our letter (72 hours) and opened an inquiry (another 10 days), I called Macy*s – where all the fraudulent purchases were made. Not only did Macy*s take an interest in our situation but they called the bank and forced them to give us our money back. Turns out, the purchases for luxury items I could never afford had been automatically refused by Macy*s, so the order had never gone through. If our bank had bothered to look into the situation they would have discovered this, but alas they didn’t – and thankfully Macy*s stepped it. Thank you Macy*s.
To celebrate, on Wednesday morning I decided to treat myself to a batch of spiced pumpkin pancakes for breakfast. I’d never had pumpkin pancakes before and wasn’t sure what to expect, but as you can see in the photos above, they turned out beautifully. In terms of taste, I’d say that the pancakes rated an 8 out of 10 on the official Ari deliciousness scale. I played around with the recipe just a bit, adding more cinnamon, less ginger and more nutmeg, then adding a tablespoon of wheat-germ, which I love in pancakes. The end result: fluffy, perfectly formed pancakes that were satisfying enough for me to finish the entire stack – no sense holding back when celebrating right? I may return to this recipe in the near future for more adjustments and taste tests, but in the meantime, I’m sharing the recipe below. I put a pumpkin face on my pancakes by cutting out the classic Jack-O-Lantern profile on a sheet of paper, placing it over the pancakes, then dusting them with confectionery sugar. I couldn’t resist with Halloween just around the corner! With a little more sugar and some melted butter, these pancakes were a great way to start my day. You could, of course, go the maple syrup route instead. 
Before I go, some interesting bits of pumpkin fact and lore:
- Pumpkin’s are fruits and their blossoms are edible. They can be baked into breads, used as edible garnishes, or even batter-dipped and fried.
- Pumpkin was one of the foods introduced by the Native Americans to the colonists. Native Americans pounded strips of pumpkin flat, dried them, and wove them into mats for trading. They also dried pumpkin for food.
- 90% of the pumpkin is made of water. Illinois grows more pumpkins than any other state in the country. It harvests nearly 12,300 acres of fruit every year.
- The earliest pumpkin pie made in America was quite different than the pumpkin pie we enjoy today. Pilgrims and early settlers made pumpkin pie by hollowing out a pumpkin, filling the shell with milk, honey and spices and baking it. (source)
- The largest pumpkin pie ever baked was in 2005 and weighed 2,020 pounds.
- Pumpkins were formerly considered a remedy for freckles and snakebites.
- Each year, growers compete for the honor of growing the world’s largest pumpkin. The largest recorded pumpkin grown was on October 1, 2005 at the Pennsylvania Giant Pumpkin Growers Weighoff. It weighed 1,469 pounds, breaking all previous world records, and was grown by Larry Checkon of North Cambria, Penn. (source)
- Jack-O-Lanterns originated in Ireland and Scotland, where people would carve scary faces into turnips or potatoes and place them on in their windows to frighten away “Stingy Jack” or other evil spirits. When they immigrated to America, they discovered that pumpkins were perfect for carving.
Happy Halloween! I hope you have tons of fun on this spooky holiday, and don’t forget about the monthly book giveaway! October’s giveaway features two books: Some Like It Hot: 50 Drinks to Warm Your Spirits by Holly Burrows, and Great Grilled Cheese: 50 Innovative Recipes for Stove Top, Grill, and Sandwich Maker by Laura Werlin. The winners will be posted on the giveaway page on November 1st.
Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes
Slightly adapted from Marthastewart.com
Ingredients: Makes 10 pancakes
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon wheat germ
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch of ground cloves
- 1 cup milk
- 6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 egg
- Extra butter for cooking and serving the pancakes, maple syrup. You could also serve with confectioners sugar. Up to you!
For a spiced breakfast treat, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt. Add wheat germ, nutmeg; and a pinch of ground cloves. In a separate bowl, stir together the milk, canned pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and the egg. Fold mixture into dry ingredients. Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat; pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side; serve with butter and syrup, or with confectioners sugar.
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I’m so glad there’s a happy ending!! I had my identity stolen once, and thought the experience was different than yours, it was nonetheless frustrating and unpleasant. Ugh. You deserved some pancakes after that for sure!
Dana’s last blog post -> In the Beginning
Yay for Macy’s! It’s great to know that a company still cares. Banks are difficult.
I love this recipe and have some leftover pumpkin. This sounds like it needs just the right amount.
I missed your last post somehow and didn’t see all of the business with your debit card. That happened to me on a smaller scale and it was awful! I’m so glad that Macy’s was kind enough to step in and help you out. And what a beautiful way to celebrate! I have plenty of pumpkin to use, so maybe I’ll make these tomorrow morning for a special Halloween treat! Thanks!
I am glad Macy’s got that resolved for you and someone was willing to step and take some responsibility for the correction.
I found a recipe like this morning through Apartment Therapy/The Kitchn for a pumpking pancake recipe that I plan on making for dinner tomorrow night. (Friday night is fun food night at our house) I am really glad to know that you liked them-I am sure then that my son will enjoy them too!
Oh yum! I love anything spiced this time of year
Judith’s last blog post -> BBM Package Received!
I’m so glad your situation got worked out! Nice work by Macy*s (and you – for being persistent!).
These pancakes look like a perfect celebration.
Rachel’s last blog post -> Need a disguise?
Great, I’m happy for you! Those pancakes look fabulous! A gorgeous fall treat!
Cheers,
Rosa
Rosa’s last blog post -> BASIC PIZZA DOUGH – THE DARING BAKERS
I’m so glad to hear that everything worked out OK! No better way to celebrate than with a stack of pancakes. They look great!
Reeni’s last blog post -> My Unabashed Plea
Thank goodness Macy’s made everything right!! Hooray!!
Oh man, I could totally go for a stack of those pancakes – yum!!
VeggieGirl’s last blog post -> The Most Flavorful Way to Multitask
Mm! I love pumpkin pancakes! Actually, pumpkin anything is good to me!
Rebecca’s last blog post -> October Daring Bakers: Pizza Dough!
These would be great for any time of the day.
-DTW
http://www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com
Darius T. Williams’s last blog post -> Balsamic Glazed Chicken over a Sweet Corn, Basil, and Bacon Puree
I am glad that there was a happy ending to the story and some yummy pancakes as well.
beastmomma’s last blog post -> Even Better Than Expected
So glad your story has a happy ending! The jack-o-lantern pancakes are adorable.
Shari’s last blog post -> Whisk Wednesdays—Beignets de Langoustines or Crevettes (Langoustine or Shrimp Fritters)
Pumpkin pancakes sound really tempting for breakfast.
Your photos look great. I’m not sure if they are pumpkin flowers but my great aunt used to bring Flor de Calabasa flowers to my mom which she would cook with spices and eat in a taco. I had some one time and they were really good.
Yay for Macy’s setting things right for you. Oh, I just love pumpkin everything and I just lov ethis time of year when I can indulge. Those pancakes look scrumptabulous!
pam’s last blog post -> A fall day outing.
What an happy ending. You have all the reasons in the World to Celebrate.
Hélène’s last blog post -> Chicken Pot Pie – Pâtés au poulet
oh my, thank you macy’s!!! and what a way to celebrate the sigh of relief that must have been!
ttfn300’s last blog post -> Bites from other blogs
The only sweet pumpkin thing I’ve ever had is pumpkin pie (and I didn’t really like it), but I’ve seen so many new pumpkin recipes in the blogosphere this year (including this one!) that I’ll have to try! These look tasty.
Dana » In talking to other people it seems like it’s happened to nearly 50% of the people I know at least once. A handful of them this past weekend! Shocking.
sharon » Banks are SO difficult. I had no idea!
Ashley » I never would have thought Macy*s would help, but they did, and totally changed my opinion of them.
Hurray for Macy’s and a sensible person somewhere in this whole mess! So glad not all was lost…
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)’s last blog post -> Paprika (Recipe: salmon tagine with chermoula)
Good going Macys! Brownie points for them
These pancakes sounds so interesting…I love pumpkin so I’m sure these are yummy!
joey’s last blog post -> HHDD #23: Chai Spiced Yogurt
Talk about breakfast of champions…yum.
Hello first time here very nice website u hv wth so many varieties of recipes. Sorry to hear about debit card incident but finally it ended happily. Happy for you.
Lovely pumpkin pancakes.
sushma’s last blog post -> TRADITIONAL TASTE…
I’m so glad to hear that corporate america has a soul! I wouldn’t have thought to contact Macy’s, so I’m so glad you did!
Those pancakes sound so yummy!
Shellyfish’s last blog post -> Pizza Party Daring Bakers Style! Vegan MoFo Day 30
Tara » Let me know how they turn out! I was surprised to see how many pumpkin pancake recipes there are on the web, but I decided to try the one here because many of the others were much more labor intensive & I’m lazy in the morning, lol. I’m always looking for new recipes to try though.
Judith » Me too! I’m going to make one of my spiced coffees later today.
Rachel » Thanks! I was SO relieved, that’s for sure. I’d been losing sleep over the situation.
RuthL » Pumpkin flowers in a taco – what a novel idea!
ttfn300 » No kidding, I was seriously stressing out over the missing $.
Merav » These pancakes definitely have a pumpkin flavor, so if you’re new to the world of pumpkin-y goodness you may want to start with something like my yeasted chocolate-chip pumpkin bread.
Come to think of it, I should have added chocolate chips to these pancakes!
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) » ME TOO. Whew. Thank you for all your support while I was down in the dumps Lydia, you were so sweet checking in with me and offering to help. *hugs*
sushma » Thanks for stopping by! Sorry to it had to be when this whole debit card thing was coming to an end, but glad to have you here.
Shellyfish » It was truly a last ditch effort, I was desperate! But thankfully it paid off.
Woohoo for Macy’s! I’m glad they forced your bank to do something. Score one for big corporations.
I’m so glad your card got sorted – go Macy’s! It’s so great to find people that will help give a helping hand in this world – it doesn’t take much and yet some people just cannot be bothered to lift a finger. Anyway, I’m really glad it was sorted
Those pancakes look delicious! I love the little pumpkin face
Nat’s last blog post -> NaNoWriMo here I come! Oh, and Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween! These look great
RecipeGirl’s last blog post -> Daring Baker’s Challenge: Pizza 3 ways… Breakfast, Dinner and Happy Hour!
that is so infuriating! we got nailed with a $1500 charge from Sears last year — somebody had bought jewelery — and it took months before we were reimbursed. such a headache! i’m glad Macy’s stepped in.
These pancakes look delicious. The size and texture are perfect — I’ve been experimenting recently with different recipes, and I just can’t get it right. I
I’m glad everything worked out!! And these pancakes would be perfect for breakfast this morning!
Deborah’s last blog post -> Quick and Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes
We have friends who make maple syrup every year, so I would definitely go with maple syrup on mine. Pumpkin and maple is pretty much a pairing made in heaven, in my opinion.
Happy Halloween and yippee for getting the debit card mess taken care of!
Janel » Homemade maple syrup? You are one LUCKY woman!
alexandra’s kitchen » Ugh, that’s so horrible! Any way you look at it, it’s bad when someone steals your money, but somehow I feel like buying jewelry and watches adds insult to injury.
i’m glad things worked out for the best and i’m glad you made some pancakes for us. there’s not much i wouldn’t do for a good pancake.
grace’s last blog post -> ciao, mi amor!
I am glad to hear of your happy ending!
If you ever want to try a slightly different pumpkin pancake, I have been making some AWESOME oatmeal pancakes with a pumpkin pie puree on top…just warm some fresh pumpkin puree with a little milk (or coconut milk) and some cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Spoon over oatmeal pancakes and WOW. Eat like a champ.
Erica’s last blog post -> Pears.
Erica » Ooo, that does sound delicious! And I am always up for trying new recipes, especially when they are pancake related.
grace » Me too, pancakes are one of my favorite foods. Sometimes I eat them for dinner.
YAY for Macy’s…what a great firm with smart people working for them! relief to hear that all went well. Happy Halloween Ariella…those pancakes look really yummy!
I now love Macy*s even more than I did before (if that was possible! mmm Macy*s card and discounts and shoes and…. okay, done now).
I still think you need to report which bank treated you so callously, and to change banks. I will probably email you banking data asap
And the Jack O Lantern face is adorable! Love it!
Pumpkin pancakes, what a novel idea it sounds and looks delicious, nutritious and kids young and old would love it!! Thanks Ari!!
Maz » I love Macy*s too! Now more than ever. Email me and I’ll tell you what bank it was (same goes for anyone else who wants to know) – I’m just afraid they would sue me if I posted their name online. You know how companies like to crush people, even if what they’re saying is true.
Yum! These look amazing!
congrats to on getting your money back, Macy’s certainly did an excellent job. I’ve been making pumpkin pancakes the lazy way for a yaer now, just taking out some of the liquid in normal pancake mix and adding in pumpkin and spices, and I’ve even tweaked it for waffles, but have yet to go the homemade route yet. I think I like your idea of adding wheat germ, there’s always that huge jar in the fridge which you can only add to your yogurt so many times.
I’m so glad everything worked out, how scary! I would have freaked if someone stole my debit card number.
hooray for happy endings and boo on your bank!
Nate’s last blog post -> Fried Sanddabs with Garlic and Oyster Sauce
What a lovely recipe…this weekend is packed, but I’ll try this out next weekend for sure. Glad your mess got sorted out Ari.
Bharti’s last blog post -> Khatti Arbi, Methi Paneer Malai and Tandoori Roti
I’ve made similar pancakes and they were yummy….I’m going to give your recipe a try first thing tomorrow morning…I’ll let you know how they turn out. Happy Halloween!
glad to hear there was a happy ending…I would change banks though.
kat’s last blog post -> sakai
I just love pancakes….never tried pumpkin one but I do know pumpkin goes really well with orange, so I can imagine it being delicious if an orange syrup was made to go with it.
http://ricocoffeeshop.blogspot.com
I had some fresh pumpkin puree leftover from a pumpkin I cut up, and I was planning to make pancakes with it but I ended up using it in mac’n'cheese instead. It didn’t come exactly the way I envisioned, so lesson learned… next batch of puree is going into these pancakes! (Though, if you wanted to do the dirty work of figuring out how to make pumpkin s’mac taste more pumpkin-y, that would be swell! I made a pumpkin bechamel sauce and I think I used too much milk in proportion to the pumpkin…)
Nancy’s last blog post -> Baby LongLegs: I predict that Ali will be tall like her daddy.
Sorry about your scarey situation, but yay for Macy’s!! It could happen to anyone of us! Glad things are a little better!
Marie’s last blog post -> Antipasto Anyone?
That is great to hear about Macy’s, so glad they helped you out and I love your celebration! Mmm, pumpkin pancakes sound delicious!
Llamabean’s last blog post -> some days we need more than mac and cheese
I’m thinking these would make a great dinner later this week – with lots of real maple syrup.
Karen » Pancakes for dinner are always a “do” in my book. Breakfast for dinner is so comforting.
Karen » I’m so glad to hear it! *hugs*
Nancy » Pumpkin mac n’cheese? Now that is a combo I never would have dreamed of! If you want to try again, I’d recommend using oven caramelized slices of pumpkin instead, either as a garnish or a mix-in ingredient before baking. That may come out better.
aislinn » Too true about adding wheat germ to yogurt only so many times.
Pancakes are a good way to use it up though, waffles too.
Isn’t there some legal action you can take against the bank? I hope that you have ditched them.
Cynthia’s last blog post -> A Selective Sweet Tooth
Cynthia » Not without causing a huge headache for ourselves and probably losing money in legal fees. We haven’t ditched them yet, but plan to very soon – trouble is, from asking around other banks seem to be “better”, but not by much. As in, do we go with the bank that takes 30 days to return stolen funds or the one that takes 40 days? We need to do some hardcore research.
I’m glad to hear Macy’s was on the ball. I think you should change banks. Love the pumpkin pancakes!
Janice’s last blog post -> Halloween Party
So sorry about all your banking trouble!
These pancakes look fantastic! I love all the pumpkin facts, too – I had no idea carving pumpkins originated in Scotland and Ireland!!
I made these pancakes for breakfast this morning and they were suuuuper delicious. Perfect start to my day off work, thanks for the recipe!
Alison » You’re welcome! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed them.
Stop. It. You’re killing me here. I never liked pumpkin and am not a pancake fan but I think you’ve converted me.
DD’s last blog post -> Go vote!
DD » Well, if I’ve converted yet another foodie to the way of pumpkin yumminess I can’t say I’m sorry!
Yay Pancakessss! This was the second recipe I tried with the fresh puree I made from the Free pumpkins I got and they were AMAZING!! I make pancakes almost every Saturday morning (also a martha recipe) and this was just so much fun to add in pumpkin! I dolloped a bit of pumpkin butter on top and found a match made in heaven
You’re recipes are amazing! I’m starting my own collection now for my own blog! I have a pumpkin tortellini recipe I think you would love! Thanks again!
I am TOTALLY making these for breakfast tomorrow!!
Oh Ariela, I can totally comisserate with your situation. My wallet and cards were stolen in April, and as it turned out the thieve(s) followed me and watched me pin, then stole my wallet and emptied my bank account. It took me 3 months to get my money back!!
I think your pancakes sound like the perfect celebratory breakfast and I can’t wait to make them this weekend to celebrate the weekend!
Mari’s last blog post -> TWD – Kicking off the Holiday Season with Kugelhopf
I am in love with pumpkin pancakes! Yours look divine!
Maria´s last blog post -> Chocolate Chip Amish Puff Cookies
i am not a pumpkin fan but i will have to make these for my sister who is obsessed and would love these!
I’m so glad that there was a happy ending, Ari! Yay for Macys!
These pancakes look wonderful. I’d have to go the maple syrup and butter route, though. A pancake isn’t a pancake without syrup in my book!
(I do wish that you could get canned pumpkin puree more easily in the UK. It’s like gold dust over here!)
I made the pancakes this morning – I roasted an heirloom pumpkin earlier this week and have been looking for good recipes for pumpkin! My children and I give these high praises, I made a double batch and they were gone as soon as they were out of the pan.
Thanks for a great breakfast!
Rochelle´s last blog post -> Ring of Fire
Rochelle » I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to let me know.