In Anticipation of Pumpkin Fest

I've been so excited about Half Moon Bay's Art and Pumpkin Festival, I've been baking all sorts of pumpkin treats. It took a couple of tries but I came up with a recipe for pumpkin pancakes that, if you top with Williams-Sonoma Pecan Pumpkin Butter and a little maple syrup, taste just like pumpkin pie.  I made them for friends yesterday and got rave reviews. 

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/8 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups buttermilk 

3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin

2 large eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk dry ingredients in large bowl to blend. Whisk milk, pumpkin, eggs, oil and vanilla in medium bowl to blend well. Add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients; mix just until smooth (batter will be thick).

Spray large nonstick skillet with non-stick spray; heat over medium heat. Working in batches, pour a ladleful of batter into skillet. Cook until bubbles form on surface of pancakes, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining batter, spraying pan as needed.