Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes

I was SO excited about trying the Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes two Sundays ago and although they were good, I knew it was a recipe that I'd never follow again.  And after the fact, the idea of the Cinnamon Swirl Pancake just  WOULD  NOT leave my head and I knew that I could possibly recreate the pancake to better meet my needs. So I had to try it again!  Some of you may recall me saying that the recipe involved a lot of ingredients and time, and the pancake itself had a lack of fluff that I tend to  look for in a pancake.  I really enjoyed the cinnamon filling and cream cheese icing so I went with the original recipe on those, but decided to use the cinnamon filling as a topping instead since it got a little messy the first time around.  This recipe can be found in its original form on recipegirl.com

PANCAKE:
2.5-3 C boxed pancake mix (I used Mrs. Butterworths Buttermilk Complete)
3/4 C canned Pumpkin puree unsweetened
1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice

CINNAMON TOPPING:
1/2 C salted butter melted
3/4 C brown sugar
1 TBSP ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE ICING:
4 TBSP salted butter
2 OZ cream cheese
3/4 C powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. PREPARE THE CINNAMON TOPPING:  in a small microwave-safe bowl heat butter, brown sugar and cinnamon for 40-60 sec, just until butter is melted.  Whisk the filling ingredients together.  If you want to get fancy with it you can pour the topping into a plastic sandwhich baggie with a zip top and set aside. ( I did the first time around, but for my simplified version I left it in the bowl and used a spoon to drizzle on top)

2. PREPARE THE ICING: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat butter and cream cheese 30-60 sec. just until butter has melted and cream cheese has softened.  Whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla and combine until smooth.  Set the icing aside.

3. PREPARE THE PANCAKES:  In a large bowl mix water into the pancake mix.  (I never measure when doing this, but keep in mind that the thinner you make your batter, the flatter your cakes will be.  Keep the batter on the thick side if you like fluffy cakes) After you get your mix to the right consistancy stir in the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice.  On a large preheated skillet or griddle (Medium heat) add the batter to the pan.  (At this step you can do it one of two ways; cook the pancake like you normally would, or for the fancy factor you can use the cinnamon topping from the zip top baggie before flipping the cake.  To do that, snip a small corner off of the edge and starting from the center of the pancake, drizzle the topping onto the batter creating a swirl resembling a cinnamon roll.  I chose to leave this step out the second time because my cast iron griddle became too hot and melted the mixture once I flipped the cake creating a huge mess! It tasted just as good using it as a topping instead.)  Cook the pancakes 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden.  When plating, if you havent already...drizzle the top of the cakes with the cinnamon topping.  Then drizzle  with the cream cheese icing and serve.  :)

this is what it will look like if you use the cinnamon mix as a filling instead of a topping

finished product when using the filling vs topping

the finished product using my easy revised version. Not as fancy, but tastes even better than the original recipe. IMO. :)

Pumpkin Fudge

This was a fun little twist on a holiday classic. As I often do, I decided to put my own little touch on this recipe, the only problem being is that I completley forgot I was going to add one last step in at the end and I didn't have things ready.  So I found myself scrambling to chop pecans when I should have been pouring the mix into the prepared pan.  Having the fudge sit in the pot a little longer than it should (even for just a minute) will have its consequences.  As a result of my forgetfulness...my fudge was just a little bit grainy.  The taste was still great, but lesson learned...don't forget to chop your nuts!!!

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp butter
2 1/2 C white sugar
2/3 C evaporated milk
1 C white chocolate chips
7 oz marshmallow creme
3/4 C canned pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
1.) Line a 9x9 inch pan with aluminum foil, and set aside.
2.) In a 3 quart saucepan, heat milk and sugar over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
3.) Mix in pumpkin puree and cinnamon; bring back to a boil.  Stir in marshmallow creme and butter.  Bring to a rolling boil.  Cook, stirring ocasionally, for 18 minutes.
4.) Remove from heat, and add white chocolate chips and vanilla.  Stir until creamy and all chips are melted.  Pour into prepared pan.  Cool, remove from pan, and cut into squares.  Store in a cool, dry place.
* if desired...add chopped pecans (a little or a lot depending on what you like...sorry didn't measure the amount I used) during step 4.