Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes with Apple Pie Topping

On a cold fall morning, there is nothing that will warm you up and fill you up (that tastes delicious) like these pancakes. Think of them as a cross between pumpkin and apple pie flavoring, but all rolled into an acceptable breakfast meal.

Recipe yields 12 pancakes

Ingredients
Pumpkin Pancakes:
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (See here for recipe)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup milk
3 large egg whites

Apple Pie Topping:
4 medium apples
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water

Let's start off with making our apple topping. First we need to peel and dice our apples into about 1" cubes. Since the apples are round, it is hard to get perfect cubes, so just try your best!

Heat a small skillet on medium-high heat and add your butter. Once melted, add flour and whisk together. Throw in your diced apples and coat with the butter/flour mixture.

Add your spices and sugar to the pan and mix to coat all the apples.

Add the water and mix in with the apples so that the spices are now melted away into the liquid. Bring to a simmer, cover and let cook for 15-20 minutes.

While the apples are cooking, we can prepare and make our pancakes! In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk to combine all ingredients well.

In the same bowl, add your milk, canned pumpkin and egg whites. Stir well with a spoon until all dry clumps are gone and the batter is smooth.

Heat a large skillet and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Drop batter into skillet in small rounds. I prefer 'silver-dollar' sized pancakes. If you want bigger pancakes, just add more batter.

Let cook for about 3-4 minutes before you flip. You will notice the edges begin to curl up and little air holes begin to appear on the surface of the pancake. Those are signs the pancake is ready to be flipped.

When you have finished all your batter, remove the cover from the apples and stir. The liquid should now be thick and gooey!

Place pancakes on a plate and top with a spoonful of apples and sauce. Serve & enjoy!