Pumpkin Puff Pancakes

Pumpkin puff pancakes take the silver-dollar format and run it through a fall-spice filter. Canned pumpkin folds into a Bisquick-based batter alongside cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and a little sugar, and the results bake up tiny, golden, and lightly domed.

The move that sets these apart is the egg beat: five full minutes on high speed until the eggs turn pale and lemon-colored. That whipped base is the difference between dense, gummy pumpkin pancakes and the puffy, almost soufflé-like ones the name promises. Dropped by tablespoonfuls onto a medium-hot griddle, they bubble, set, and flip in under two minutes a side.

Serve them stacked with maple syrup, cream cheese frosting, or a dusting of powdered sugar. They’re also small enough to skewer with toothpicks and pass at a Thanksgiving brunch.

Pro Tips

• Don’t shortcut the 5-minute egg whip. The aerated egg base is what makes these puff instead of pancake-flat.
• Use canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is pre-sweetened and pre-spiced and throws off the balance.
• Watch the griddle heat. Pumpkin batter scorches faster than plain pancake batter because of the natural sugars; medium, not medium-high.
• Wait until bubbles form and the edges look dry before flipping. Flipping too early collapses the puff you worked for.

Variations

• Stir in a small handful of mini chocolate chips for a kid-pleaser version.
• Swap the spice mix for a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice if you want a more rounded warmth.
• Top with maple-cream cheese drizzle (cream cheese, maple syrup, splash of milk) for a pumpkin-roll-style brunch finish.