Pumpkin Pancakes with Sage Brown Butter and Sage Maple Syrup
This easy and simple pumpkin pancakes recipe has sage all over it thanks to the sage infused brown butter and sage infused sugar. Warm sage maple syrup just makes things deliciously better! You won’t believe how soft and fluffy these pumpkin pancakes are. These are melt-in-your mouth kind of pancakes!
For me a good pancake recipe has to be simple and easy. Something I can whip in no time but still allow me to let my creativity fly with added flavors and fixing as I pretend to be running the kitchen of my own little pretty bakery on a Sunday morning. And I think we can all agree that, during these uncertain and somewhat claustrophobic days, playing pretend every now and then is part of the game of keeping our heads sane!
These pumpkin pancakes with sage are like that! No special equipment or too many steps. Just two bowls for wet and dry ingredients, then mix in one into another and off to the hot griddle they go. Just add a few simple steps when you are making flavored pancakes like these. Since I couldn’t add actual sage pieces to the batter, I had to infuse the sage trough rubbing the sugar and browning the butter. Check my notes below where I tell you how I made these pancakes totally form scratch and still the process was super simple! But if you leave the sage infusing part out of it, you just have a very easy, basic, everyday pancakes recipe that are super soft and fluffy. Perfect any day!
I made these pancakes a few days after I made my Pumpkin and Sage risotto. I still had half a can of pumpkin and sage leaves were still nice and fragrant. I couldn’t resist the idea of giving sage the sweet treatment! It was the best thing I made that morning! These pumpkin pancakes were warm and cozy! I ate these curled up on my couch wrapped up in my favorite throw blanket, pouring some of the sage maple syrup on each and every bite. They brought so much needed content to our souls!
How to make Pumpkin Pancakes with Sage Brown Butter from Scratch
I always start my pancakes by mixing the milk with the vinegar. That way it will become buttermilk after I have prepped everything and the batter is ready for it.
Since I didn’t actually add sage pieces to the batter I had to infuse its flavor on different parts of the process. One of the things I did was rubbing the sugars with a few sage leaves for about one minute. I used both granulated and confectioner’s sugar because confectioner’s sugar is the secret ingredient to super soft and fluffy pancakes. The other was to make sage brown butter by melting butter in a saucepan with a few sage leaves on medium heat and letting the butter brown a bit. You can skip this by melting the butter in the microwave with the sage leaves and letting them infuse the butter for a few minutes. Just have in mind that the flavors won’t be as intense as with the sage brown butter.
I then mix the butter with the sugar and the rest of the wet ingredients in one bowl, and the dry ingredients in another one. Then gently mix and the batter is ready for the griddle.
When I melt the butter in the griddle surface I like to very carefully wipe up the excess oil with a paper towel. That way the top of the pancakes will be smoother. This is completely optional, just a tip that yields nice and smooth pancakes all the time!
Have some extra butter softened so you can spread some butter over the hot pumpkin pancakes.
Making the Sage Maple Syrup
To make the sage maple syrup, just heat the syrup in a saucepan over medium heat with a few sage leaves. Add as many as you like, depending on your love for sage. I added a lot! DO not let the syrup boil because this will alter its texture, making it too runny.
Making the Sugared Sage Leaves
If feeling fancy and want to decorate your pancakes with sugared sage leaves, just separate the egg you are going to use for your pancakes. Drop a few drops of water over the egg yolk so a film doesn’t form on the surface. Whisk the egg white and with a pastry brush lightly paint about 10 to 15 leaves with the egg white on both sides, putting them to dry on a cooling rack. Alternatively, dunk the leave on the egg white and very delicately wipe excess with your fingers. Wait about 2 to 3 minutes before sprinkling granulated sugar on top.
Mix the remaining egg white with the egg yolk and incorporate on the pancake batter according to recipe. If you want to make many more leaves than these, you should use another egg for it to not compromise the recipe.
How to Store Leftover Pancakes
Freeze pancakes for at least 30 minutes in a single layer on a large plate or tray. Transfer them to a freezer plastic bag. Heat them in the microwave when ready to eat.
Pumpkin Pancakes with Sage Brown Butter and Sage Maple Syrup
Ingredients
Sugared Sage Leaves for Decoration (optional)
See Notes on how I made these Sugared Sage Leaves
◯ Egg white (from the egg you will be using for the pancakes) – 1
◯ Whole sage leaves - 8 to 10 leaves
◯ Granulated sugar to sprinkle
Pumpkin Sage Pancakes
◯ Full fat milk or coconut milk – 1 ½ cup
◯ White vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice – 1 ½ TBSP
◯ Raw or brown sugar – 1 ½ TBSP
◯ Confectioner’s sugar - 1 ½ TBSP
◯ Grass-fed butter – 4 TBSP
◯ Sage sprigs – 2 with 4 to 5 leaves
◯ Unbleached flour – 1 ½ cup
◯ Baking powder – 2 Tsp
◯ Ground cinnamon (optional)– 1 ½ Tsp
◯ Fine sea salt – ½ Tsp
◯ Cage-free egg, at room temperature – 1 (see notes if making the sugared sage leaves)
◯ Vanilla extract – 1 Tsp
◯ Pumpkin puree – ½ cup
◯ Extra butter for the skillet and spreading on hot pancakes
Maple Sage Syrup
◯ Pure Maple Syrup – ½ to 1 cup
◯ Sage sprigs – 3 with 4 to 5 leaves
Details
Yield:
20 to 22 medium size pancakes
Total time:
40 minutes
Active time:
40 minutes
Cooking time:
15 minutes
Equipment:
griddle or large skillet
Steps
To make the Sugared Sage Leaves (see notes):
Whisk the egg white thoroughly. With a pastry brush gently brush a bit of the egg white through each leave on both sides, covering the surface well. Place in a cooling rack ideally or in a parchment paper. Wait about two to three minutes before sprinkling with some granulated sugar. Mix remaining egg white with the egg yolk and set aside.
To make the pumpkin sage pancakes:
In a bowl or a large measuring cup mix the 1 ½ cup of the milk you are using with the 1 ½ tablespoon of the vinegar or lemon juice.
In a medium or large bowl combine the 1 ½ tablespoon of raw or brown sugar and the 1 ½ tablespoon of confectioner’s sugar and rub with one of the sage sprigs with 4 to 5 leaves on it (or more).
In a small saucepan melt the 4 tablespoons of butter with the second sage sprig with 4 to 5 leaves on it (or more if desired) over medium heat. As soon as it foams and grows, cook for a few seconds before removing from heat. Through a sieve, pour melted brown butter over sugars and whisk so they dissolve into the butter. Set aside to let it cool down a bit while you prep the rest of the ingredients, or place it in the fridge a few minutes.
In a large bowl combine the 1½ cup of flour, the 2 teaspoons of baking powder, the 1 ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and the ½ teaspoon of salt with a hand whisk.
Remove all the sage leaves from the butter sugar mixture. Add the egg (see notes if you are making the sugared sage leaves) and the teaspoon of vanilla and mix once more. Mix in the half-cup of pumpkin puree. Add the milk and vinegar or lemon mixture and mix until everything is well incorporated.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour liquid into it and gently mix until all the flour is well coated. Remember that small lumps of flour are ok, the important thing is that you don't see large strays of dry flour.
Heat a griddle in medium heat and melt some butter on it, just to cover the surface. Don't let the butter brown. Using a spatula spread the melted butter. (I like to wipe up the excess of oil with a paper towel to prevent large marks of burning butter beneath the pancakes but this is optional.) After one minute of heating, pour about ¼ cup of the batter on the hot griddle. Pour as many as you can fit, typically side by side. Cook for about 2 ½ to 3 minutes, until the edges look dry and the surface has tiny bubbles. Carefully turn the pancakes over and cook for an extra minute. Retire pancakes from heat and place in a cooling rack or plate. Spread some butter on top of pancakes if desired. Grease again the skillet, decreasing the heat a bit to prevent butter or pancakes from burning. Cook rest of the batter.
Serve them warm with the sage maple syrup (recipe follows) and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top and decorate with sugared sage leaves if making them.
To make the Sage Maple Syrup:
In a small saucepan heat the maple syrup with the sage in medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Do not let the syrup boil! If it’s heating too quickly retire from heat a few seconds or bring down the heat a notch. After 5 minutes take some of the syrup with a spoon and smell it to appreciate if it is well infused. Heat a bit more if needed.
