pumpkin butter chocolate chip pancakes
Thought I was done with pumpkin? Think again, fuckers.
Here we have a pumpkin-y brunch to consider, both for the weekend and for the holidays. I don’t know many folks who dislike pancakes, and those who do I’d question their ability to find joy in life. Unless they simply prefer waffles over pancakes. I’d allow that.
The timing of this recipe was impeccable on the day of its initial development. The workday was stressful and life beamed me in the face with a 100 mph four-seem fastball. I wound up chowing down on a few of these fluffy beauties and a portion of scrambled eggs. The perfect anxiety-buster in that moment. I don’t always vouch for turning to food as a means of acquiring comfort, but occasionally it fits the bill better than most other methods.
Especially something as nostalgic as a plate of pancakes.
Perhaps this is the conclusion of pumpkin ’round here, until next year. Perhaps it’s not. Whatever happens, these Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes deserve a place on your morning table. Or, shit, breakfast for dinner. Doesn’t matter. Simple, cozy, decadent: the ideal trifecta for an effective pancake.
And don’t worry – everyone fucks up the first flip. I think it’s part of the warmup process when pancake-ing.
Lumpy
Meaning, the batter. You gotta keep it lumpy or else your pancakes will come out flatter than my ass. Which is pretty flat, if you were wondering.
Start with the wet ingredients. We’ve got melted butter, pumpkin butter – I like Trader Joes’, and Bonne Maman has one on the shelves too – eggs, and vanilla. Nothing too fancy. Whisk in your buttermilk next.
Then, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, punkin spices (cinnamon, ginger, and cloves) and a pinch of salt. Make sure you only mix as much as needed to eliminate any remaining streaks of flour. No more than that. Then, fold in lots of chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
Again, lumps in the batter are good. The provide the lift and oomph your pancake needs to grow big and strong.
Let the batter hang out on the counter for about 10 minutes. This allows the leaveners to start working and gives the gluten in the flour a chance to absorb some of the liquid. Kinda like with muffin batter: your pancakes will have more lift if you’re patient and let it vibe before diving in to cook.
Sizzlin’ Skillet
I like to use my cast iron for the pancakes, since it’s real great at giving a nice golden tinge. But, if you have a pan you’re more comfortable using, go with that.
Melt some butter in your choice vessel. Depending on how big you pan is, you might be able to do two pancakes at once, but I’m usually conservative and just go one at a time.
Drop 1/4 cup sized blobs of batter into your pan. Cook until bubbles start to form on top, which should only take a couple minutes. Then flip and cook another minute or two to set up the center and the opposite side.
Un-pro tip: I usually place the finished pancakes on a plate and pop the plate in the microwave to keep the ‘cakes warm while I finish up the rest of the batch. Don’t actually run the microwave. It merely serves as a compartment.
Serve these with whatever accompaniments you like. Maple syrup is a must for me, and a sprinkle of extra cinnamon. If I’m feeling real frisky, a pat of butter. Oh yeahhh.
Leftovers? Cool. They freeze quite well. Keep them sealed up tight for up to a month, and when you’re ready to nibble, either pop them in your toaster on a low heat setting or defrost in your microwave for a few minutes.
And yes – this batter works very nicely for waffles, too, if you’ve got an iron and a dream. So poetic.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to comes say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Punkin’ Munchin’
Pumpkin Chai Cupcakes with Cinnamon Bourbon Frosting
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
pumpkin butter chocolate chip pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter, melted, plus more for cooking
- 1/2 cup pumpkin butter
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, pumpkin butter, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk in the buttermilk. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula. DO NOT OVERMIX – lumps in the batter are a good thing!
- Let the batter sit for 10 minutes on the counter.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop in 1-2 1/4-cup portions of batter into the pan, leaving space between them. Cook until bubbles begin to form on top of the pancake, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter, melting additional butter 1 tablespoon at a time if the skillet becomes too dry.
- Serve warm with more butter and maple syrup, as desired.
