It’s that time of year again! It’s a #VirtualPumpkinParty out here. An event that gives you all the pumpkin inspiration you could ever need. Or want. Sweet, savory, cocktails, lattes. We’ve got you. If you weren’t ready for fall yet, you better be ready now. Because it’s hitting you like a pumpkin to the face.

This year, I’m going back to basics. I used to love pancakes as a kid on weekends. It was the most decadent way I could picture spending a morning. I spoke about this a bit in a previous post about waffle appreciation and science. And my OG decadent breakfast food will remain pancakes. These pancakes are the ultimate. Because aren’t autumn weekends the best decadent weekends? They feel the most special to me. The light and the cooler, breezier air encourages you to slow down and savor the season. So yes, these pancakes are perfect.

Rich and pumpkin-y, warmly spiced, and oh-so fluffy. But not overwhelmingly so. Just right.

Side note: these pancakes are from Ruth Reichl’s book The Kitchen Year. The book is all about using the kitchen and recipes to track her recovery after Gourmet’s closing and getting back to food. I’ve written about the beautiful way she links actions in the kitchen to meditation and reconnecting with the soothing nature of preparing food, and I think that message especially connects to breakfast and these fall pancakes. Seriously, slow down and enjoy.

Now I did mention fluffy when describing these pancakes…

The fluffiness of these babies is from a two-prong approach of baking powder and egg whites. Whipping egg whites and folding them into the batter adds air to the product just by nature of the supportive air bubbles being present in the first place. As we’ve chatted about before, whipping egg whites causes the proteins to denature and make new connections with nearby proteins, trapping air as they go. The strong structural quality of the proteins creates a network of air and egg white. Bingo, aeration.

The baking powder, on the other hand, causes a ton of aeration from a chemical reaction standpoint to push it over the top. Baking powder is a combination of sodium bicarbonate and an acid. When the sodium bicarbonate reacts with the acid, it gives off carbon dioxide as a byproduct. Think elementary school science fair project with the volcano. That carbon dioxide gives you aeration! Most baking powders are double-acting meaning that they have slow and fast-acting acids in the mix. That keeps the production of carbon dioxide going so that you’ve got air bubbles popping up throughout the critical moments. E.g. when you mix everything together (fast) and when you expose it to heat (slow).

Egg whites + baking powder = fluffy pancakes.

Be sure to head on over to the full list of Virtual Pumpkin Party recipes on Sara’s site. This is still, by the way, her brain child. Thanks for another wonderful recipe collaboration year Sara! Now go buy a case of pumpkin puree and get to cooking, baking, and sipping. But start with these pancakes.

My previous contributions are below.

Pumpkin Ale Cake

Cheese Fondue Stuffed Roasted Pumpkin

Yeasted Pumpkin Rolls + Slow-Cooker Apple Butter

Pumpkin Pancakes

Serves 2

Adapted from My Kitchen Year

140 g pumpkin puree

75 g flour

20 g brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon ground ginger

⅛ teaspoon nutmeg

Generous pinch cloves

Generous pinch kosher salt

2 eggs

4 tablespoons butter

½ cup milk

Splash vanilla

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and baking powder. Stir in the spices and salt.
2. Separate the eggs, putting the yolks into a small bowl with the whites in another bowl large enough to whip them in. Beat the whites with clean beaters or in the bowl of a stand mixer until they’re just beginning to hold stiff peaks. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter and stir it into the yolks. Add the pumpkin puree, milk, and just a dash of vanilla. Stir the blended liquids into the flour mixture from step one carefully.
4. Put a third of the whites into the batter mixture and stir well to combine. Add the remaining egg whites and fold gently to combine without deflating.
5. Heat a skillet on medium with cooking spray or butter to prevent sticking. Cook the pancakes as you normally do. I like to make these mini—they fluff up better.
6. Store any leftovers in a sealed bag in the fridge. If you can toast them instead of microwaving them, they’ll be better!