“BUNS”

1/2 c whole-wheat flour

1/2 c all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt OR coarse sea salt

1 tbs cinnamon

3 egg whites

3/4 c canned 100% pumpkin puree

3/4 c nonfat plain yogurt

2 tbs brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

ICING

4 oz light OR reduced-fat cream cheese at room temp

1/4 c maple syrup

1/4 c pecans, toasted and roughly chopped (optional)

cinnamon (optional)

TO MAKE THE “BUNS”:  Whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a lg bowl until well combined. Set aside.

In a second lg mixing bowl, whip the egg whites until blended. Add the pumpkin, yogurt, brown sugar, and vanilla, and whisk until well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined and smooth (no dry streaks should remain), taking care not to overmix. If time allows, let the batter rest for 10 minutes.

Liberally coat a lg skillet or griddle with nonstick oil spray and warm over med heat. When the pan is nice and hot, ladle about 1 tbs of batter onto the skillet to form a mini pancake, making a total of about 24 mini pancakes. The batter will be thick, so spread it out with the back of a spoon to make a circle. Cook until the bottom of each mini pancake is golden brown and bubbles start to form in the batter, about 2-3 minutes. Flip the pancakes and push down with the back of a spatula to flatten them out a little bit. This will help cook the middle. Cook until the other side is golden brown, another 2-3 minutes. Recoat the skillet with nonstick oil spray periodically to prevent the pancakes from sticking.

TO MAKE THE ICING: In a small food processor, blend together the cream cheese and maple syrup until smooth.

TO SERVE: Spread about 1 tsp icing on a mini pancake, and then top with another pancake. Spread 1 tsp of icing on top of the second pancake before adding a last pancake on top. Finally, spread about 2 tsp of icing on the top and garnish with 1 tsp chopped and toasted pecans and a sprinkling of cinnamon, if desired.

8 servings (3 mini pancakes with icing per serving) 150 calories per serving