Pumpkin Pancakes and Apple Cider Syrup

One year for our anniversary Mike took me to this cottage in the woods. It was the best anniversary present he could have given me. For breakfast the owners had stocked the fridge with stuff for breakfast. They had pumpkin pancake mix and syrup in the fridge. It was spectacular. Since then I've looked for a good pumpkin pancake recipe. This is the best one I've found so far. It is from the Sisters' Cafe. I just cut and paste directly from their site. We used this recipe around Thanksgiving when we had left over pie filling.

Apple Cider Syrup
3/4 Cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBs cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups fresh apple cider (or juice would work)
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter
Mix sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg well. Add apple cider and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, use within a week or two.

My Favorite Pumpkin Pancake Recipe
2 cups flour (I use at least 1/2 freshly ground white wheat flour)
3 Tb brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground all spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup buttermilk (I do an overflowing 1/2 cup)
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
2 Tb canola oil
2 Tb vinegar

In one bowl mix together the buttermilk, pumpkin, eggs, oil and vinegar. Combine dry ingredients separately and them stir into pumpkin mixture just until combined. Heat your pan or griddle (lightly butter or oil if it is not seasoned), using about 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot with apple cider syrup.

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

We made this cheesecake for Thanksgiving and loved it. It comes from Allrecipes.com I made this cheesecake twice. The first time I made it just as the recipe calls for and then when I made it for Thanksgiving I changed it according to the recommendation from a reviewer. They were both great. The original recipe tastes like a cross between a pie and cheesecake. The tweaked recipe tastes like cheesecake, which is what I was looking for.

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.
Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

Here are the changes I made: I used three packages of cream cheese instead of two and used 1/2 cup sour cream. Instead of using the puree, I used a can of pumpkin pie filling and then I just threw in a little more cinnamon. I did not have cloves so I omitted that part. You could make your own crust if you want.