Step 1

Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and spices in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

Step 2

Place the buttermilk, pumpkin purée, egg yolks, and vanilla in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until almost combined, but with a few clumps of flour still remaining. Stir the reserved egg whites into the mixture until just combined. Set the batter aside to rest for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the skillet.

Step 3

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large cast iron skillet or griddle on medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 1/4 cup portions of batter to the pan, pressing it out with the bottom of the measuring cup to help it spread out a bit. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the bottoms are golden brown and a bit crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and continue cooking until set, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes more. (I like to do a small test pancake to adjust the temperature before cooking the remaining batter.) Re-heat the griddle before cooking additional batches of pancakes.

Step 4

Serve the pumpkin pie pancakes with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar, a drizzle of maple syrup, a slap of butter, and a pile of whipped cream.