LET'S EAT: SKULL PUMPKIN PANCAKES

I'm a fan of skulls any time of year, but especially during Halloween, so it's not surprising that I fell in love when I saw these skull pancake molds. When I was younger Halloween was all about the costumes, but as I've gotten older I have noticed that I am more excited about spooky decorations and festive treats instead. Now, don't get me wrong. I love a good costume party, but sometimes the stress of finding, making and affording the costume I envision myself wearing on Halloween ends up with me spending countless hours with a hot glue gun or braving the crowds at the Halloween store. I have yet to decide if I will be dressing up this year, but I am almost certain that these pancakes have become a new Halloween tradition. Making homemade pancakes is definitely worth the effort and these pumpkin pancakes will taste amazing whether you have skull pancake molds or not!



PUMPKIN PANCAKES RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

1½	cups flour
¼	cup sugar
¾	tsp. baking soda
½	tsp. salt
2	tsp. ground cinnamon
½	tsp. ground ginger
¼	tsp. allspice
4	eggs, separated
¾	cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1½	cups milk
4	Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1	tsp. vanilla extract
1-2	Tbs. vegetable oil
	Maple syrup for serving

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, using a handheld mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until medium peaks form. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, pumpkin puree, milk, butter and vanilla until well combined. Whisk together the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture just until the batter is smooth and no lumps of flour remain. Stir in the egg whites in 2 additions.

4. Heat a griddle over medium heat until a few drops of water flicked onto the surface skitter across it. Lightly grease the griddle (and inside of the pancake molds if you are using them) with vegetable oil, or spray with nonstick cooking spray. If using pancake molds, set on the griddle with handles up, and heat until hot.

5. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter onto the skillet (or into each mold). Cook until bubbles form on top and the batter is set, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 2 minutes more. (If using pancake molds, remove the molds from the griddle before flipping the pancake over.)

Note: If using pancake molds, make sure the pancake molds are thoroughly greased to ensure they do not stick to the pancake and ruin its shape. Also, I found it helpful to pour the pancake batter into a squeeze bottle in order to make it easier to reach the smaller details of these particular molds.

Recipe via Williams Sonoma Skull Pancake Molds. An alternate recipe can be found here. Photography, design and styling by Jessica of SAS + ROSE.