Jack O Lantern Pancakes

Light and fluffy pumpkin pancakes perfect for any fall breakfast – or dinner!

My idea began with this creative everyday take on pancakes: Trix Pancakes from Shawn @ I Wash You Dry

But we don’t routinely have brightly colored cereal in our cupboard. So I tried to arrange Cheerios to make my pumpkin pancakes look like Jack-O-Lanterns:

#Fail

Then I tried using Crisped Rice; but the pancake Jack-O-Lantern came out looking more like a scary skeleton:

 (Not really the look I was going for.)

So I tried raisins with a little green stem – and the third time was a charm:

To make the green stem,  I started with regular food coloring in a bit of pumpkin pancake batter. Now my kids eat very few food dyes. (Here’s a great article by fellow dietitian Sally @ Real Mom Nutrition if you have concerns about dyes.) But I do keep store-bought food coloring on-hand for birthday cakes and holidays.

However, by this time, my pumpkin pancake creative juices were running pretty high – so I tried doing a natural green food coloring for the stem. Frozen green peas ==> whizzed into a little batter provided the perfect hue. The peas were sweet enough that you couldn’t taste them. The trick to keeping them bright green is not to cook them – just defrost.

Lastly, because I was really having fun in the kitchen – and because not everyone wants peas in their pancakes – AND because I thought there might still be something to the cereal pancakes idea – I created Granola Pumpkin Pancakes.

Oh man – now this was #Winning

Cinnamon-spiced granola in slightly sweet pumpkin pancakes: My kids gobbled up the smiling Jack O Lantern Pancakes, while I did the same to the granola studded ones.

Jack O Lantern Pancakes + Granola Pumpkin Pancakes

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5 from 1 review

• Author: by Serena Ball, RD
• Yield: About 25 pancakes - I sorta lost count! 1x

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Description

Light and fluffy pumpkin pancakes studded with granola and raisins for breakfast – or dinner!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup cake flour (or all purpose)
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 cups + 1 tablespoon low-fat buttermilk, divided
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons frozen peas
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2–3/4 cup homemade or packaged granola

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, 2 cups buttermilk, egg, oil and vanilla; whisk together.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into flour mixture; mix well with a fork or wooden spoon until you have a smooth batter, but don’t over mix.
4. To make green batter, remove 1/2 cup batter to a smaller bowl. Whiz peas and remaining buttermilk in mini-food processor or blender; stir into smaller bowl of batter.
5. Heat large non-stick griddle or frying pan over medium heat; drop about 1/8 cup batter onto pan. Drop small spoonful of green batter on one edge for stem; arrange raisins into ‘face.’ Flip after all bubbles in batter pop – about 3 minutes. Cook about another 2 minutes and remove to plate or keep warm.
6. Variation: For Granola Pumpkin Pancakes, fold in granola into medium bowl of orange batter after combining wet and dry ingredients. Can also make them Granola Jack O Lantern Pancakes!

Do you add cereal to recipes? Everyone HAS to make them once a season: Pumpkin Pancakes – have you made them yet this year?

Some of our favorite pumpkin recipes that you may also like:

Pumpkin Waffles

Whole Pumpkin Cheddar Gratin

How to Cook Pumpkin Seeds in 15 Minutes