We’re halfway through October and I’m finally starting to get in the Halloween spirit! I’m not sure if I want to dress up this year but I definitely plan to embrace a few festive touches at home so I can still enjoy a bit of Halloween fun! One of my most favorite things in this world are pancakes. They just seem to make everything better. I got excited when I saw these super cute Halloween pancake molds at Williams-Sonoma (they’re currently on sale) a couple of weeks ago so I bought them and this past weekend I put them to the test to made the most perfect and adorable Halloween pancakes ever! Before I get to the recipe part, I wanted to share a few tips on working with silicone pancake molds like these.
I much prefer metal pancake molds because the heat circulates through them more evenly and you end up with a more perfect looking end result. A silicone mold can be tricky. Even though silicone baking molds are advertised as nonstick, food will inevitably stick to them so they need to be well greased. Use a lightly flavored cooking oil like Canola or Safflower oil or a good cooking spray. I used a coconut oil cooking spray. You’ll want to get your oil all up in the nooks and crannies to ensure that the details in the finished pancake look well defined and to help the mold release from the batter with ease. The Jack-o’-lantern in this mold has very jagged teeth so you’ll need to grease them good or else the mold will stick to the teeth and your pancake will have a mangled mouth!
Another tip is to use a squeeze bottle with a nozzle that’s not too small and not too wide so you can control the amount of batter that goes into the mold and so you can get it into every little crevice. I used this “pancake pen” but you can easily use a squeeze bottle if you cut the nozzle a bit wider or even an old ketchup bottle will work well.
Here are all the shapes in the mold set which includes a bat a jack-o’-lantern and skull with crossbones. My favorite is the jack-o’-lantern, of course!
Now for the recipe… I love making homemade pancakes but I wanted a gluten-free version and just didn’t have the time to pull all of the ingredients together so I used a gluten-free boxed mix and doctored it up with a bit of vanilla extract, brown sugar and some of my homemade pumpkin pie spice mix for a deliciously sweet pancake spiced with the flavors of a mouthwatering pumpkin pie! If you’re looking for a great homemade recipe, I’ve tried and loved several by A Cozy Kitchen (who also just wrote a whole book on pancakes!) but you can save a ton of time and energy by making a few tweaks to your favorite boxed mix or basic pancake recipe using the steps below. Enjoy!
Pancakes
Your favorite basic pancake recipe or boxed mix plus:
2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
SYRUP
1/3 cup of maple syrup
1 tablespoon of butter
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
DIRECTIONS
Prepare your pancake mix as directed then stir in pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar and vanilla. For the syrup: Pour your syrup into a saucepan set to a low, simmering temperature. Mix in your cinnamon, butter and heat until butter is melted.
KITCHEN ESSENTIALs for your halloween pancakes
2 Comments
What a fun idea! These would be perfect for a Halloween breakfast or brunch!
This just made my day! They are the cutest pancakes I’ve ever seen! Too bad I’m not in the U.S anymore orelse I would’ve made a run to Williams- Sonoma just so I can make these! Thanks for sharing!
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