Pumpkin Pancakes with Apple Cider Syrup

The priorities for Christmas in our house go something like this: 1. God 2. Food 3. Family. Okay, so perhaps I’m being a bit dramatic putting food before family, but what we eat between Christmas Eve and Christmas evening certainly has its importance. On Christmas Eve, we celebrate the Italian feast of the seven fishes. On Christmas day, we’ve cooked everything from prime rib and Yorkshire pudding to roasting a whole goose. And while both of these meals are two of my yearly favorites, it is the Christmas breakfast that I’ve come to enjoy the most.

Once my family has finished opening gifts on Christmas morning, my two brothers will start playing with their latest video game, my mom will be relaxing on the couch and my dad will head to the kitchen to get another round of coffee brewing. Since my mom is always in charge of cooking Christmas dinner, I try help her out by taking the role of the breakfast chef.  This year, I’m planning to serve family favorite: pumpkin pancakes with apple cider syrup. This is a recipe that my mom has used for years at the bed and breakfast. The flavor of pumpkin paired with sweet apple cider is sure to be the perfect ending to Christmas morning.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Hot Apple Cider Syrup

Ingredients:

Cider Syrup

·         1 ½ cups apple cider

·         1 cup brown sugar

·         1 cup corn syrup

·         4 tablespoons butter

·         2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

·         1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

·         1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

·         Grated zest of 1 lemon

·         2 granny-smith apples, cored and cut into small dice

Pancakes

·         2 cups flour

·         2 tablespoons sugar

·         4 teaspoons baking powder

·         ¾ teaspoon salt

·        ½ teaspoon ground coriander

·         ½ teaspoon nutmeg

·         1 tablespoon cinnamon

·         1 ½ cups buttermilk

·         1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree

·         4 egg yolks

·         ½ cup salted butter, melted

·         1 tablespoon vanilla extract

·         4 egg whites

Cooking the Cider Syrup

In a saucepan, bring to a boil all of the ingredients except for the diced apples. Once the mixture has come to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the mixture is the consistency of maple syrup. Just before serving, add the diced apples and heat for several minutes until the apples are soft.

Making the Pancakes

Sift the dry ingredients, combine them in a bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine and mix the buttermilk, pumpkin puree, egg yolks, butter and vanilla. Once mixed, add to them to the dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites with an electric beater until they are stiff, but not dry (see photo below for an example of how the egg whites should look). Once the egg whites are stiff, fold them into the pancake batter.

Once the batter is ready, melt 1 tablespoon of butter on a griddle over medium-low heat. Scoop pancake batter onto the griddle using a 1/3 measuring cup. Cook pancakes on one side for 4-5 minutes, then check to see if they are ready to flip. Once you flip the pancakes, they should only take a few more minutes until they’re ready to serve.

Serve pancakes with a slice of butter and top them with the apple cider syrup. Enjoy!