Pumpkin Pancakes with Black Cinnamon Syrup and Jack-O-Lantern Bites

Here are two more fun Halloween meal ideas using pumpkin. How fun would it be to make the pancakes Halloween morning or for a fun dinner? We eat pumpkin pancakes year-round at our house but I think the syrup makes it more festive for the holiday.


What You Need: {Pumpkin Pancakes with Black Cinnamon Syrup}

2 eggs
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons melted butter
5 tablespoons canned pumpkin
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
few drops of orange gel food coloring

Directions:
Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with no stick spray. Combine eggs, buttermilk, butter, pumpkin, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to blend ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and blend with mixer until smooth. Add just a few drops of gel food coloring until you get a nice orange. Pour or scoop the batter onto hot skillet, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.When the batter stops bubbling and edges begin to harden, flip the pancakes. They should be golden brown. This will take from 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook other side for the same amount of time, until golden brown. Serve warm with syrup. Makes approximately 16 pancakes.

*TIP*
If you make the pumpkin pancakes and serve with this syrup, you could cut down or even leave out the cinnamon in the pancakes.

Black Cinnamon Syrup

{recipe from Not Martha}
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 brown sugar
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup water
black food coloring gel

Directions:
In a saucepan combine all ingredients except for the food coloring gel. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously.
As it starts to heat, add in a little of the black food coloring and mix in, add more until dark. Allow it to boil for a few moments until the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to put into a squeeze bottle.You can make the syrup the night before and warm it by dipping the squeeze bottle in a bowl of warm water.


Jack-O-Lantern Bites

I made these Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin bites last year for Halloween, recipe from Bakerella. The catch is you do need a mini-muffin pan and a pumpkin cookie cutter. I went out and got inexpensive versions of both of those things and they have both come in handy for other uses so I think it is worth it.

What You Need:
2 refrigerated ready-to roll pie crusts
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter {Mine is 3 3/4 in wide. If you don't have one, use a circle and make the stems from the dough scraps}

Optional:
1/2 cup chocolate morsels
vegetable oil


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Use cookie cutter to cut 12 pumpkin shapes from each pie crust. You will need to roll the dough thinner than it comes out of the box.

Press dough shapes into a 24 cup mini muffin tray. (Make 12 at a time, alternating cups to make sure pie crusts don’t overlap each other.)

Apply egg whites from one egg to the top edges of each pie.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, remaining 2 eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until thoroughly combined.

Spoon mixture into each pumpkin-shaped pie crust.

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Remove pies to cool and repeat with second pie crust. Place the muffin tray in the freezer to cool it quickly for re-use.

Makes 24 pies. Keep refrigerated.


To decorate, melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave on medium. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Add a little vegetable oil to make the chocolate more fluid. Transfer to squeeze bottle, plastic bag with the corner cut off, or piping bag. Drizzle or draw faces on pies. Have fun and enjoy!