Recipe: Pumpkin Pancakes - An October Tradition

On the first weekend of October, I continue a tradition my mother started....Pumpkin Pancakes with Hot Apple Cider Sauce! 

And I'm teaching my daughter how to carry on this delight.

Here's how I make them. 

I make it easy by using regular pancake mix.  I follow the box directions except where it calls for milk.  I do half milk and half apple cider.  Also, I add in a large dollop of the canned pumpkin till the batter turns orange.

The batter can be thick and you may want to add more liquid to thin it..or kind of paint it and shake it out in the skillet to spread it out. Also, cook it on the medium heat and perhaps longer than you're used to in order to cook the insides.

For the Apple Cider Sauce....which really makes the dish, I first slice apples and cook them in a saute pan with some butter.

I sprinkle some pumpkin pie seasoning on them, too.  (I add some of the spice to the batter, too.)

When they smell divine and are cooked soft I add apple cider and maple syrup and the sauce is heated for use over the pancakes.  It's a looser and more liquid-y sauce than syrup and the pancakes soak it up quickly.  You'll pour some on the pancakes and then it seems to disappear, so make more than you think is necessary.

Your kitchen is going to smell like fall!

Ladle this sauce...with plenty of apples over your hot pancakes and fork up a bite that includes an apple and your eyes will roll!

It's the taste of fall to us...one we look forward to! (Leftovers warm up great in the microwave, next day...if you have any.)