The Effectiveness of Marketing

Have you seen the Denny's commercial for their Holiday Breakfast Menu? Or IHOP's new limited time specialty pancakes? While the plates of plastic eggs and spam are definitely not appealing, the description of Egg Nog and Pumpkin Spice pancakes definitely catch my fat kid attention. In fact, every time I see one of those commericals, I have to stop myself from getting in the car and finding the nearest Denny's (which is probably in Binghamton).

Usually, I'm not a pancake kind of girl. Fluffy carb cakes covered in liquid sugar isn't exactly a diabetic's breakfast! But I will make the occasional exception.

This weekend, having endured the torture of Denny's and IHOP long enough, I finally broke down and made myself Pumpkin Walnut Pancakes! This recipe makes a rather large batch. You can actually cook the pancakes, cool them and freeze them to be enjoyed at some later date.

Pumpkin Walnut Pancakes

Ingredients
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
5 tsp brown sugar (those with functional pancreai can add more)
2 - 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 - 1 1/4 c milk
3/4 c pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Method
1. Add all the dry ingredients together.
2. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl until well mixed.
3. Add dry to wet and mix well. Stir in walnuts. You may need to add a little extra milk depending on the consistency of the batter. This tends to be a rather thick batter because of the pumpkin puree. If you leave it too thick, the pancakes won't cook all the way through...unless you prefer your cakes partially charred.
4.  Heat a pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot pan. Repeat twice more to cook three pancakes at a time.
5. Pancakes are ready to flip once you see air bubbles coming to the surface of the pancake. Flip and cook for a few minutes longer.