Williams-Sonoma Spiced Pecan Pumpkin Waffle/Pancake Mix

This past Christmas, I got a very special surprise.  Every year, we pick Pollyannas aka Secret Santas.  My siblings and our significant others put our names in a cup and write what we would like for Christmas.  Then, you pick something out for that person. I don't think I put anything particularly special on my list this year.  And I'm glad because my Pollyanna decided to surprise me!

She got me pumpkin pancake mix from Williams-Sonoma-- not just one, but two! AND she got me the Betty Crocker Cookbook!  It truly made my Christmas.  What she came up with was much better than anything I could have come up with myself because it was thoughtful and from the heart.  That night, on the way home, we picked up our daughter a play kitchen for Christmas (way to wait last minute).  At home as we put it together and I was in my glory.  I couldn't wait to surprise our baby, I had an excellent new cookbook and I was looking forward to pumpkin pancakes!

I went through the first can very quickly.  The mix makes about two meals, about nine pancakes each.  I still had one can left over for this season.  Last year, I made waffles every time, but this time I decided to make the pancake recipe. The waffles were good, but the clean up was annoying.

And what can I say?  It is delicious.  It tastes sort of like warm, spicy pumpkin bread.  And every other bite has a little toasted pecan in it.  :)  My daughter and I made it together, of course, and didn't have to share with my husband because he doesn't like many pumpkin flavored things.  Crazy, I know!

I love making things from scratch, but there really is something awesome about mixes.  You save so much time and get to the fun part so much faster.  And since it's from Williams Sonoma it was an especially good mix.

And, yes, I did check the expiration date!  Feb 2013.

Instructions: 

Whisk together 2 1/4 cups mix, 2 eggs (lightly beaten), 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted) and one cup milk.  Don't overmix or you will get tough pancakes.  This is true ANY TIME you make pancakes, waffles, quick breads, cookies and cakes.  Let the batter stand for five minutes (I skipped this step because I forgot).  Preheat griddle to medium heat until a few drops of water dance and pop when put in the pan.

When I make pancakes, I melt some butter and brush it onto my pan.  You can also spray with cooking spray.  But I think butter tastes better and makes beautiful-looking pancakes.  Plus, you will be consuming less chemicals.  I got the tip from Joyofbaking.com.

Pour 1/3 cup batter and cook until bubbles form on top and batter is set.  Flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown on the other side, about two more minutes.  Repeat with remaining batter.  Makes nine five inch pancakes.  It really did make exactly nine.  But I used a 1/4 cup that was overflowing with batter rather than a 1/3 cup.

Top with some real maple syrup and you're ready to eat them!

I put the five pancakes we didn't eat in the freezer, wrapped individually.  Pancakes are easily reheated from frozen with just 30 seconds in the microwave and taste delicious!

I really recommend picking up this mix if Williams-Sonoma has it again this year!