Halloween pumpkin pancakes with dark chocolate drizzle

These easy to make, colourful pancakes are just the thing to make with children for Halloween celebrations. Pumpkin pancakes are a good way of getting a nutritious vegetable into your cooking. Pumpkins and squash contain fibre, vitamins and minerals which are important for good health. In this recipe OatDrink is perfect for making a thick, smooth pancake batter.

Makes approximately 10 pancakes

Ingredients

250g pumpkin or squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped into 1cm cubes
2 free range eggs  
40g soft brown sugar  
20g butter or non-dairy spread  
125ml OatDrink   
200g plain flour   
2½ tsp baking powder   
1 tsp ground cinnamon   
drizzle of flavourless oil, such as sunflower or groundnut, for cooking the pancakes

To serve
50g dark, cooking chocolate, broken into small pieces

Method

Put the cubes of pumpkin/squash in a small heatproof bowl, add 1 tbsp water, cover with cling film and microwave on high for 5 mins or until soft.

Drain the pumpkin well and allow to cool. 

Place the cooked pumpkin in a tall jug with the remaining pancake ingredients.  Blend with a stick blender until a smooth, thick batter is formed. This can be done in a food processor if you prefer. 

Heat oven to 140C/120C to keep pancakes warm while you cook them in batches – have a baking tray to hand

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, non-stick frying pan and pour circles of batter, about 8cm across, into the hot pan – leave some space between each pancake and don’t overcrowd the pan. 

Cook until you see a few bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake and the underneath is golden. Flip the pancakes over and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a baking tray and keep warm in the preheated oven while you continue cooking. The remaining pancakes.

Place the broken chocolate in a small, heat proof bowl and place over a bowl of simmering water.

Once cooked, pile the pancakes onto plates and drizzle with swirls of melted chocolate.