Pumpkin pancakes with ginger butter make a great breakfast, especially in the fall. Make the ginger butter ahead of time so the flavors have time to blend. Use a small scoop (#70) or melon baller for the right amount of ginger butter on your pancakes.
pumpkin isn’t just for Thanksgiving
Canned pumpkin can be difficult to find in the grocery stores any time other than fall and Thanksgiving. We stock up on canned pumpkin and keep it in the pantry so we can serve pumpkin pancakes well into the next year. Don’t forget about pumpkin bread, muffins and even pumpkin ice cream.
fresh pumpkin or canned?
In farm country, some people like to use fresh pumpkin. I’ve tried it but found it was a lot of work. The fresh pumpkin has to be seeded, cut up, cooked, mashed and strained. It’s also important to use cooking pumpkins (“sugar pumpkins”) and not jack-o-lantern pumpkins. Those are grown for carving Halloween pumpkins. They tend to be large and fibrous without much flavor.
the best way to mince crystallized ginger
Crystallized ginger needs to be finely chopped until it is mostly a paste. I tried mincing it using an electric hand-held coffee grinder, but it gummed up the blade. A food processor is too large and doesn’t work. The best way is still on a cutting board with a chef’s knife. The cut pieces stick to the knife, so you can either spray the knife with Pam vegetable oil spray or periodically sprinkle the cut ginger with a little sugar.
Put the ginger paste into a small bowl, add the butter and mix some more. Mash it together with a fork to make sure it is well mixed. This is better made ahead to blend the flavors. Serve the ginger butter softened (take out ahead of time and serve at room temperature) so it melts easily on the pancakes. I use a very small (#70) portion scoop (like a melon-baller scoop) for the ginger butter.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 5 minutes |
| Servings |
3-inch pancakes
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- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar packed
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt low-fat or nonfat ( or sour cream)
- 2 tbsp. butter melted
- maple syrup
- 2 tbsp. crystallized ginger finely chopped
- 1/4 cup butter softened
Ingredients
Pumpkin Pancakes
Ginger Butter
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- Place a nonstick griddle or 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat (350F); when hot, coat lightly will butter and adjust heat to maintain temperature.
- In a large bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.
- In another bowl, mix egg, milk, pumpkin, yogurt (or sour cream) and butter until well blended.
- Stir egg mixture into flour mixture just until evenly moistened.
- Spoon batter (use a #24 scoop) onto griddle and gently spread into 3-inch rounds.
- Cook until pancakes are browned on the bottom and edges begin to look dry, 2-3 minutes; turn with a wide spatula and brown other side, 2-3 minutes longer.
- As pancakes are cooked, transfer to baking sheets and keep warm in a 200 degree oven.
- Serve warm with candied ginger butter and maple syrup. (I put a small scoop of Ginger Butter on the pancakes as soon as they’re on the plate so the butter begins to melt.)
- In a bowl, with a wooden spoon, stir 2 tablespoons finely chopped candied (crystallized) ginger into 1/4 cup softened butter.
- Chill until firm before serving. Makes about 1/4 cup. (Soften the ginger butter by leaving at room temperature for a while so it melts on the pancakes.)
I like smaller pancakes. I use a #24 scoop (about 1/4 cup), and this makes 14 3-inch pancakes.
