Pumpkin Chocolate Pancakes #ChocolateParty

I remember the times when pancakes were, well, just pancakes. You wen´t to a coffee shop or diner, ordered pancakes and got pancakes. Maybe buttermilk or even unspecified in it´s kind, they were unmistakable. And my most longed-for and anticipated breakfast. I didn´t eat them regularly since they are not common in this country, but they were a staple whenever we travelled to the US. One of the first things to do was eat pancakes with maple syrup.
Times are different now and though I have access to whatever pancake I want, I barely ever eat them. But I jumped at the idea of making them for this month´s Chocolate Party.

The ingredient is pumpkin, which should be combined with chocolate. So pumpkin chocolate pancakes it was, drenched in maple syrup, though not literally because I had to use syrup with maple extract. But the flavor was there and it was good. 

I already told you my fridge is stocked with pumpkin puree to bake as my imagination sees fit. It´s butternut squash really, but we´ll keep that a secret. Or I´ll tell you my secret, which is that I like butternut squash more than pumpkin. The horror, I know, to say that in the month of october.

I took a good pumpkin pancake recipe, one that separates the eggs, and the whites are whipped and added at the last time. The result is a stack of spongy pancakes that absorb the syrup like they should. I added a very good semi sweet chocolate to not only comply with this group, but also to make them almost a dessert. Because, the way I see it, if you´re not going to make traditional pancakes, the ones I told you at the beginning, you might as well go overboard.

These pancakes are exactly that. A sweet, syrupy, chocolaty, faintly orangy idea that should be eaten when the sweet tooth strikes. For me, it´s usually in the afternoon, totally separated from any other meal.

They were good, still warm, with the chocolate a bit melted. I suspect freezing them should work perfectly, to make once and enjoy the whole week, or month or whatever your pancake schedule allows. For me, and a friend I was with, that never happened. It turned out our pancake schedule consisted on six pancakes in twenty minutes. So much for the one who said she barely ate any pancakes now...

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE PANCAKES 
barely adapted from Bon Appetit, November 2000 

Ingredients 1 ¼ (170g) cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoons cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups whole milk
¾ cup pumpkin puree

4 large eggs, separated 
¼ cup (55g) unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbs to ¼ cup semi sweet chocolate chunks
Maple syrup, for serving

Directions

In a bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a medium bowl mix milk, pumpkin puree, egg yolks and butter. In another bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks.

Add the pumpkin mix to the dry mixture and mix just until no streaks of flour remain. Add chocolate.

Add egg whites and mix gently with a spatula. It should be well incorporated but don´t overmix.

Heat a pancake skillet over medium heat. Brush with a bit of butter and cook pancakes, 1/3 cup of batter at a time. Cook on one side until bubbles form and bottom is brown. Flip and cook on the other side until browned. It should take between 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Stack pancakes on each plate and serve with maple syrup.