Sunday, September 5, 2010

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Butter

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I just realised my life was incomplete before I tried homemade cinnamon butter.

It seems so simple; just a bit of butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla. But whip it all together and mould it into cute little pats of butter and melt it on top of a stack of fresh, warm pancakes and it is unbelievable. And not just any normal pancakes - pumpkin pancakes! Golden orange thanks to some beautiful rich pumpkin puree, fluffy and moist thanks to buttercream. This makes one impressive breakfast....or dessert?
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I am a little embarrassed to admit where the inspiration for this came from. Gilmore Girls is my ultimate guilty pleasure TV show, and it worked out so well when I decided to make a Blueberry Shortcakes after I heard someone mention it on the show. This time it was pumpkin pancakes. With homemade cinnamon butter. YUM. How could I resist? Seriously that show might all be fast talking and cuteness but damn, it's led to some seriously good breakfasts/brunches in my house. It's a shame that A hardly eats breakfast, and never eats sweet breakfasts. Oh well, more for me!
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A bit of googling let to this pumpkin pancake recipe from Nigella Lawson. The recipe is fairly easy, just mix it up in one big bowl. It's a little bit more work if you want to make your own pumpkin puree - I just chopped up and roasted half a butternut pumpkin for half an hour under foil. The cinnamon butter is a little bit orgasmic. It really is. I was surprised by how brown it turned out, I was expecting it to just be lightly speckled with cinnamon. It might not be the prettiest colour, but all will be forgotten when you let it melt all over pancakes or some toast with the amazing smell and taste. I made it a little more fun by setting the butter in some silicon ice cube trays I had. The pumpkin pancakes are very mild in flavour, so you could eat them just with maple syrup. And the butter is so amazing, you could eat it with anything.
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Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Butter
(pancakes adapted from this recipe, serves approx 10)
450ml pumpkin puree, fresh or canned (15-oz can) (I made fresh using half a butternut pumpkin)
360ml buttermilk (1 1/2 US cups, for those too lazy to convert. Sheesh.)
2 eggs
260g plain flour (1 3/4 US cups)
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1/4 tsp salt

For the cinnamon butter:
125g unsalted butter (a little over 1/2 US cup)
3 packed tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla essence
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

To serve: Maple syrup

Prepare the cinnamon butter ahead of time: remove the butter from the fridge 30 mins before you begin. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla essence until the mixture is smooth then slowly add cinnamon and beat until combined. You can either place the mixture in clingfilm and shape into a log or press into silicon moulds, and chill until it sets or overnight.

For the pancakes, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs in a large mixing bowl until frothy, then add pumpkin puree and whisk again. Gradually add flour, sugar, baking powder, bicard soda and salt, whisking continously to combine until smooth.
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Add some vegetable oil or butter to your frying pan, wiping away the excess with a paper towel so the pan is lightly oiled. With the pan on low heat, use a ladle or cup to pour 1/4 cup measurements of batter into the pan, gently coaxing them into 3 inch diameter circles. When bubbles start to form on the top of the pancake and the edges are cooked, flip the pancakes over and fry until cooked through (another 2 mins or so). Transfer to a plate and keep warm under foil while you cook the rest of the batter. Serve warm with pats of cinnamon butter and maple syrup.
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45 comments:

  1. Gorgeous photo at the end there!

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  2. These seriously look fabulous! I absolutely love the sound of cinnamon butter, sounds like it would be nice on warm scones or hot cross buns too!

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  3. This looks delicious Steph - Again, another great and wacky combination from you...cinnamon butter sounds amazing - and I don't think I'll just limit it to pancakes... but after this post - I may as well admit that I'll never look at pancakes the same way again!

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  4. YUM!! The heart shaped cinnammon butter is just adorable! Rory & Lorelai (and Luke) would be very proud!! I heart Gilmore Girls!!

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  5. pumpkin pancakes! with cinnamon butter! zomg yum. love this combo - it reminds me of thanksgiving, and that heart-shaped butter pat is oh so cute :)

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  6. I've never tried cinnamon butter but it sounds all kind of divine! This sounds like a project for next weekend. =)

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  7. Aw, I think if someone served this up to me for breakfast, I think I'd marry them. Whether they wanted to or not.

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  8. Homemade cinnamon butter sounds amazing!

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  9. you would totally have given luke and suki a run for their money if you opened a cafe/bakery in stars hollow!

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  10. Amazing photography to go with this amazing bfast combo I must say. Can't wait to try this recipe. What kind of camera do you use? I'm in the market for one and don't know where to start...

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  11. What a great post, just gorgeous - I also love cinn butter and your blog is so pretty

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  12. Pumpkin pancakes?! sounds delicious!! and love the cinnamon butter hearts... how pretty!

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  13. These look outrageously delicious! I've missed pumpkin so much (it's been off store shelves here in Boston), and am excited for its return this fall. Once I get my hands on some, I will definitely be making these pancakes... and that cinnamon butter... divine.

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  14. what a perfect stack of pancakes :)

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  15. Just gorgeous! now I want pumpkin pancakes. I think it's the color that makes them so drool-worthy. Beautiful pics! glad to have found you!

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  16. I watched Gilmore Girls all the time until I got to college and didn't have a tv anymore. Sad. Haha so much fun that you got inspiration from it!

    I love anything that involves pumpkin. Anything. And cinnamon. Man I'm a sucker for cinnamon. I'm so going to have to make these!

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  17. this looks delish!! i never thought about using pumpkin. love the nice touch with the little heart! :)

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  18. I agree, my life has been incomplete also without cinnamon butter! What an amazing combination of simple ingredients. And in heart shapes? Yes, I've been very deprived.

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  19. Love the money shot! The heart shape cinnamon butter is too cute!!

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  20. The honey looks luscious! you take very beautiful photos :)

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  21. Awww, heart-shaped cinnamon butter! I can just about smell it from here...

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  22. Gaaaahh cinnamon butter?!! You're killing me Steph. Killing me.

    I would claw kids and push old ladies out of the way for a plate of that!

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  23. My, these look amazing... as a child my grandmother made pumpkin scones but pumpkin pancakes.. and with cinnamon butter!! I need to make these... yum!!

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  24. I've never heard of cinnamon butter. However, it seems to easy to make to pass up trying! The pancakes look delish!

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  25. hahahaha definitely MORE for you!! This looks and sounds awesome. You really do have some great inspirational moments. I need to listen to TV shows more closely

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  26. omg! cinnamon butter? yes please! I've never heard of it before, but for some reason I want to get into the kitchen right now at 12:30 pm and make it! lol


    and Gilmore Girls. is. awesome.

    enough said. ;)

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  27. I love it! Another way to incorporate a vegetable into an otherwise carb-fest! Thanks for the inspiration and yes, Yaya's Yummers were all fans of Gilmore Girls as well!

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  28. Fiona - Thanks!

    Lisa - :) Thank you! Oooh they would be great on those!!

    Trissa - Hehe this one is surely not one of my wackier ones ;)

    Betty @ The Hungry Girl - :) Heart shapes make everything cuter! I hope so!! Me toooooo!!

    Helen (Grab Your Fork) - :D yes they would be so great for that time of year! thank you <3

    Celeste @ Berrytravels - trust me, it is divine! Hope you do try!

    Conor @ Hold the Beef - hehehehehe I would like to see an non-consentual marriage due to pancakes :D

    Chocolate Shavings - Thanks so much! I'm addicted!

    chocolatesuze - Aww shucks :D how awesome would that be?!

    Arleene - Thanks! I use a Canon 500D with the kit lens at the moment :)

    Jennifurla - Aww thanks so much :)

    the dainty baker - Yeah regular pats of butter were just not cute enough for me :D Thanks!

    Lauren - Thank you! Aww hope you get some great pumpkins this fall :)

    betty - Hehe thanks!

    Lauren Zabaneh - I agree! I'm in love with the bright orange colour of them! Glad you found me too!

    Joanne - Awww no tv? sad!! I am a total sucker for cinnamon too :) You have to try the butter!

    baobabs - Thanks! Trust me it gives it a great colour and delicate flavour.

    Melanie - Indeed! Everything is better in heart shapes :)

    Ellie (Almost Bourdain) - Haha you gotta have the money shot! Thanks!

    coquelicot - Hehe it's actually maple syrup. Can't have pancakes without it! Thanks!

    mademoiselle délicieuse - It smells soooo good!! :)

    Karen @ Citrus and Candy - ROFL I'm sorry! I'll make some for you ;)

    Trudy ~ veggie num num - My mum made pumpkin scones too! I love them!! They would go so great with the butter!!

    Paula - Thanks!!

    sabriena - I only heard it through Gilmore Girls! It's so easy, you should try!

    Maria@TheGourmetChallenge - Definitely! ;) Haha all I ever seem to notice is the food and drinks on TV!

    Zahra - :D Haha I get the urge to bake at all weird hours! I totally agree, so much awesome :)

    Gummi Baby - Thanks so much! Haha yeh, it might you feel a little less guilty :P Aww I miss GG

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  29. looks delish-- just one question: when do you add the pumpkin to the batter?

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  30. Bahh I am such a doofus. It must have gotten lost when I was copying the recipe over, it's been updated now, thanks for it pointing out!

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  31. Oh my gosh, I love pumpkin ANYTHING! I'll have to try that recipe ASAP!

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  32. Kathryn - Haha me too! Hope you like the recipe :)

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  33. We had these Thanksgiving morning- SO SO GOOD!! I'm posting a link to you on my blog. Thanks!!

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  34. Momma McCall - Whee so glad you enjoyed them! Glad to have helped make your festivities fun :)

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  35. Can I just say, I'm an unashamed addict to Gilmore Girls and after hearing Luke mention pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon butter, I specifically went on google JUST to see if someone had actually made this combination in real life and I came across your blog! I am so glad you've posted a recipe so now I can make it too :) Your blog is lovely.

    Gilmore girls for the win!!

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  36. Lianne - Aww yay!! Always happy to meet another Gilmore Girls addict. Thanks for making me smile :)

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  37. These look amazingly delicious, i am loving pumpkin lately! might just be my sunday brekkie :)

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  38. I have tried other pumpkin pancake recipes but this is the best. The Cinnamon Butter just adds the icing to the cake, so to speak. DELIOUS!!!

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  39. this looks awesome!!
    Whenever I'll struggle with cooking in future, I will definitely come to here - everything's great :) :)
    I only tried one of your recipes (apple crumble loaf) but it was yummy :3 I'm so gonna make some other dishes xD xD

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  40. I made these this morning and I'm SO MAD that I did. They were HORRIBLE! They were cooked on the outside and RAW on the inside! I cooked the pancakes for 12 - 15 minutes and they were STILL RAW! Pancakes should NEVER have to be cooked for this long.I couldn't figure out why they turned out like this. I compared this recipe with a few others online (probably should have done this BEFORE making them not AFTER) and found that this recipe calls for WAY TOO MUCH PUMPKIN! The only thing that was worth anything was the cinnamon butter. I don't know they were edible for anyone else. What a waste of money, ingredients and time!!!

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    1. I'm sorry you had trouble with the recipe. I didn't experience the issues you've mentioned and others have used this recipe successfully in the past. If you see the link in the recipe, I used a Nigella recipe that was published previously, so mine is not the only version that uses this much pumpkin. I wasn't there so I can't tell you why it didn't work, but I certainly wouldn't post a recipe that didn't work for myself. I understand your frustration though, I hate when recipes don't turn out and end up wasting ingredients.

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  42. Forgive me if this is a dup post but I made these to rave reviews this weekend. They were tricky to cook as Anonymous mentioned, but I budgeted my time *shrug*. The cinnamon butter knocked it out of the park!

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  43. Just stopping by to let you know you've received a Successful Pin Award for your Pumpkin Pancake recipe! My 5 year old absolutely LOVES these pancakes and asks for them all the time. Needless to say, they are now a staple in our Family Cookbook. Thank you!!!

    http://pinsreviewed.com/display-successful-pin-award-badge/

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