Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes

These pancakes were a big hit at our house!  I modified a recipe found in Taste of Home magazine, and everyone loved them.  Try serving them with the Warm Apple Cider Syrup recipe, or just good old fashioned maple syrup... they're yummy either way! 

I doubled the recipe to feed our family of 5, and we had just 5 pancakes left over for lunch the next day...  If you have leftovers, too, just cover them and chill (or freeze) until you're ready to use them.  Then just pop them into the toaster for a minute or two to warm through, and you're good to go. :)

Since I'm always looking to save time, I know from experience that you may be tempted to skip the egg separation step, and just throw the eggs into the wet ingredients without beating the whites to soft peaks first - but really, they won't get the heavenly light and tender texture that they do from that little step.  It only takes a couple of minutes to beat the white to soft peaks and it is SO worth it.  (To test the peaks, turn your mixer off and lift the beaters straight up.  The egg whites should be able to stand up in peaks, but the tops of the peaks should kind of curl over - sort of like the top of soft serve ice cream. :) )  Then gently fold them into the rest of the batter.  Believe me - you won't be sorry that you included that step!! :)

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (almond extract would also be great)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons melted butter or mild vegetable oil

Directions

In a large bowl,combine the dry ingredients.  In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, milk, vanilla, pumpkin and butter until smooth. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into batter.

Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot greased griddle. Turn when bubbles begin to form on top of pancakes and underside is golden. Cook until second side is golden brown.  Serve with butter, syrup, and whipped cream if desired.
Yield: approximately 15 pancakes