A bit of explanation to begin: I’m a geek, as is Adan. Which is relevant because in my household, Sundays are the day we play D&D. Now, the best thing about D&D Sundays (aside from playing D&D and hanging out with friends) is having a captive audience for whom to cook. I’ve started consistently making brunch for everyone, since I loooooove breakfast/brunch foods, and really, so does everyone else. We began with the simple, straightforward brunch items (buttermilk waffles, buttermilk pancakes, challah french toast), and then gradually progressed to more interesting recipes (eggs benedict). It gives me a chance to make brunch almost every week.

Thus, I present the first iteration of my Almost Weekly Sunday Brunch: Spiced Pillow Pancakes. These pancakes turned out light and fluffy from the whipped egg whites, with a strong spice flavor that married well with maple syrup. The batter came together quickly, and cooked up well. I made some adjustments to the recipe, substituting ginger and cloves for the originally called-for cardamom, and adjusting quantities so I wouldn’t have an egg yolk left over (I hate when that happens).

When folding in the egg whites, be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. I didn’t do that, and the last two pancakes turned out a little dense, but still lovely and flavorful!

Spiced Pillow Pancakes
From Seven Spoons

4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
6 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
5 large eggs, separated
3 3/4 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons melted butter

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. In a small bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks form. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with the melted butter, then whisk in the milk and vanilla extract.

Add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined and still lumpy. Add a quarter of the beaten egg whites to the batter and fold to lighten. Once that has been fully incorporated, fold in the remaining egg whites. Don’t try to get it fully incorporated this time – the batter should be streaky.

While the batter rests, preheat a non-stick griddle over medium heat. Lightly brush with cooking oil or melted butter. Ladle about 1/3 cup of the batter at a time onto the pan. Cook until the edges of each pancake become dry and bubbles begin to form in the centers, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until golden and puffed, about another 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and keep warm in a 200 degree oven if needed. Continue until all batter is used.