Pumpkin spice was almost unheard of before Starbucks introduced their Pumpkin Spice Lattes here in the UK. Buying Pumpkin itself was a near impossible feat unless you went to an American Food stockist in some remote part of the city (Loopy Pintos comes to mind here in Edinburgh). Thankfully, you can now find tinned pumpkin in most large grocery stores – even out with American Thanksgiving Season! For this I am most grateful. It means I get to celebrate my Canadian Thanksgiving with a pie and indulge in some pumpkin based cookery for a few weeks.

The weekends, for me, are very important for food. It is usually the only time of the week we have the entire family sitting together. Breakfasts are also really important on the weekends. I grew up with my parents making a cooked breakfast most weekends. This is probably why I try to do the same for my children. Usually we don’t have to rush for any commitments which means the morning is a much slower pace – something I welcome with open arms!

Being dragged out of bed to warm milk for the kids usually means I sleep is done for the day, food being my solace. The kids love pancakes, so I wanted to make something seasonal which they would enjoy – the empty plates were a sure sign of that! You can easily make these gluten-free using buckwheat flour instead of wheat flour.

Makes roughly 3 dozen little pancakes – enough for 4-5 people

• 1 cup Pumpkin puree (roughly half a tin)
• 1/2 cup Sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 1 1/2 cups Plain Flour (or Buckwheat if you are going gluten-free)
• 3/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground Ginger
• 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
• pinch Cloves
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 cup melted Coconut Oil / Vegetable Oil / melted non-dairy spread)
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup Almond Milk (or other nut milk, oat milk, or cow’s milk)
• Oil – for cooking the pancakes

In a large bowl mix the pumpkin puree together with the sugar. Measure out the oil in a large measuring cup (or a small bowl) and whisk together with the eggs and vanilla. Add this to the pumpkin mix along with the flour, spices and salt. Beat until smooth and no lumps appear. Slowly add in the milk, mixing as you go. Your batter is now ready for cooking.

Heat a little oil in your pan and add roughly 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. (I find I work better with smaller pancakes.) Once bubbles appear on the top, they are ready to flip over.

Serve warm with maple syrup.