I know what you’re thinking. Pumpkin pancakes for fall. Groundbreaking. But allow me to be cheugy and cliche for a second. You can’t escape certain cliches, but like me, you can fully embrace certain cliches like Meg Ryan Fall. It brings me joy. Give me chunky knit sweaters, apple picking, and all things pumpkin spice. Perhaps you don’t need a new pumpkin pancake recipe, but these Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Brown Butter are fluffy drowned in maple syrup. Have I mentioned there’s cinnamon brown butter?? Have I convinced you yet?
A Fall Classic
You can’t mess with the classics, and this is a NYT Cooking classic that I didn’t really modify much.
The recipe follows the basic pancake rules, such as A) ratio: 1 cup flour : 1 cup milk : 1 egg. B) whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl, C) the wet ingredients in a separate one. D) Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just combined – remember you want lumps!
Find all the tips for crispy, fluffy pancakes here.
Make sure to allow the batter to rest for a few minutes once the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together. That gives the flour’s gluten a chance to relax, making your pancakes softer – you can let them rest for up to 15 minutes.
Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet – preferably cast-iron – over medium heat for a few minutes until really hot. Add the batter, then let the pancakes be, only flipping them when they’re fully set on the first side. That’s how you get perfectly crispy, fluffy pancakes. Slather on the butter before adding the batter – that buttery layer will turn them perfectly golden brown.
Now Let’s Talk Brown Butter
Browning butter, a rather simple and quick process, produces stunning results. As the butter melts and foams, the milk solids caramelize. That’s how it gets that wonderful nutty flavor and aroma. Keep an eye on it, because it goes from perfect to burned very quickly.
Those little flecks of browned milk solids make it super flavorful, so make sure you keep them all. Transfer to a bowl and allow it to cool completely, then beat until fluffy. The whipped cinnamon brown butter is the perfect topping for these cozy, delicious pumpkin pancakes.
It is my biased opinion that one can never have too much butter. So this is a butter on butter recipe. You can obviously just drizzle your pumpkin pancakes with maple syrup and that’s perfectly fine, but why not take it to the next level?
Just by virtue of beating butter you get to incorporate air into it and it gets incredibly light and fluffy. That alone is enough to elevate it and make it a wonderful pancake topping rather than just a plain knob of butter
For this cinnamon version, all you have to do is add cinnamon and salt when beating the butter! No honey or sugar needed, because we’re already drowning the pancakes in maple syrup. We don’t endorse diabetes here.
A little pinch of salt is enough to enhance the cinnamon flavor. Salt is a flavor enhancer, so its job here is to empower the flavors already present in the recipe.
If you make these Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Brown Butter please be sure to leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you and I love responding to every comment. And don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram. I’d love to see your photos!
Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Brown Butter
10
pancakes10
minutes20
minutesIngredients
3/4 cups flour (96 grams)
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 1/2 tbsp butter, melted
- For the Cinnamon Brown Butter:
4 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Directions
Brown the butter: Place the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam and sizzle around the edges.Keep an eye and stir occasionally. In about 5 minutes the butter will start turning golden brown. The milk solids at the bottom of the pan will be toasty brown and it will smell nutty. Immediately transfer to heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process and allow it cool.
Prepare the pancakes: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger together until well combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, pumpkin puree, egg, melted butter and vanilla until well combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, gently folding until just combined. Some lumps are okay.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium until very hot. Add a generous amount of butter (start with 1 tbsp, adding more as needed).
Drop the pancakes into the pan by 1/4 cup, leaving enough room in between for the batter to expand.
Cook until the batter bubbles at the edges and is golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook until batter is cooked through and golden brown. Repeat until all batter is used.
Make the cinnamon brown butter: whip the brown butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon, salt and vanilla.
Serve pancakes with cinnamon brown butter and maple syrup.
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