The Cookbook Club- Nigella Christmas Pumpkin Pancake with Sticky Maple Pecans

Joanne Tracey over at Brookford Kitchen Diaries has started up a monthly cookbook club and the rules such as they are are loose enough that it's easy to follow along and participate. 

This month we were asked to try to find Nigella Christmas. Having read Joanne's fictional novel and blog(s) for years I have heard a lot about Nigella but never thought to look for one of her cookbooks before. I was so surprised to find the book through our interlibrary loan program.

It's a beautiful book and I learned a whole lot about different English traditions and food. But if I'm honest I had a hard time finding a recipe to use! That's not to say we didn't find any we liked but I had no need to cook up a cheesecake or a whole ham or anything like that. 


My boys and I finally settled on making the pumpkin pancakes with sticky maple pecans. 
 

Here is a video I found with Nigella making this recipe! 


I did have to sort of "translate" the recipe from the metric measurements into the "American" measurements I'm used to (and I think I messed up a bit because my first few pancakes were a bit wet and I went back in to add some more flour and dry ingredients. Which if I had watched that above video first I would have known since my batter was much thinner than hers. 



But I got them right the second time around and while they were cooking I turned to making the pecans. 



 They were incredibly easy, but ours looked much wetter and stickier than hers did in the video. We loved them though so I'm not complaining!


Now my boys and husband all added more maple syrup but I don't like maple syrup so I ate mine plain wit just a few nuts on top. 

We all thought they were pretty good but I did think they were missing something. If I were going to make these again I'd add cinnamon, some nutmeg, and probably even some clove. I feel those "pumpkin pie spices" really bring out the warm pumpkin taste. 

Linking up with:







Comments

  1. Handmade in IsraelDecember 16, 2024 at 5:28 AM

    What a great challenge! I love Nigella's recipes. I make a delicious tomato curry from one of her books. It's a staple in our home.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JoyceDecember 16, 2024 at 5:53 AM

    Nigella had a tv cooking show when we lived in England and my girls and I loved to watch. I have two of her cookbooks and make several of her recipes fairly often. Hope you have a nice week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 16, 2024 at 6:19 AM

      Oh I bet she's fun to watch; I really enjoyed her video.

      Delete
  3. Maria RineerDecember 16, 2024 at 6:16 AM

    Looks good! I love trying new recipes- in fact, I did it quite a bit over the weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  4. HollyDecember 16, 2024 at 6:34 AM

    Wow looks and sounds so yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Amy ScottDecember 16, 2024 at 6:45 AM

    They look perfect, though! I love eating breakfast out but at the same time I think breakfast food is fun to make at home and mine often tastes better.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Andrea NineDecember 16, 2024 at 7:02 AM

    I absolutely must try these! Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  7. CatherineDecember 16, 2024 at 7:21 AM

    These look really yummy. I love the sound of the maple syrup pecan mix :)

    #MMBC

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 16, 2024 at 10:47 AM

      I don't typically love maple syrup but mixed with the pecans it was so good!

      Delete
  8. Dara @ Not In JerseyDecember 16, 2024 at 8:41 AM

    That looks so good!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hena TayebDecember 16, 2024 at 11:30 AM

    Looks yum. I remember seeing a bit of her on tv.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Kari December 16, 2024 at 11:32 AM

    These look AMAZING.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Julie's Creative LifestyleDecember 16, 2024 at 11:35 AM

    Those pancakes look and sound so good and like the pecans added.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 16, 2024 at 1:22 PM

      Thank you; the pecans were a delicious bonus!

      Delete
  12. Heather{Our Life In a Click}December 16, 2024 at 11:38 AM

    I used to love watching the Nigella cooking show. She was so calming and everything looked amazing. I loved seeing her home and family as well. I remember her making some pancakes but they were the plain American style ones. These look tasty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 16, 2024 at 1:23 PM

      I could get that vibe just from the bit of the segment I watched. She seemed so sweet.

      Delete
  13. Jodie's Touch of StyleDecember 16, 2024 at 12:37 PM

    We love making pumpkin pancakes and one of the things we do to make them healthier.Is add protein powder. I've learned the hard way that then you have to add a little more liquid.haha
    Xoxo
    Jodie

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousDecember 16, 2024 at 1:04 PM

    Yum.
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Lindsay's Sweet WorldDecember 16, 2024 at 1:09 PM

    These look delicious! I would have been worried about messing up the measurements, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 16, 2024 at 1:24 PM

      I should have used Alec's kitchen scale and measured everything but I'm not nearly as good at that as he is!

      Delete
  16. MandyJoyLoves♥December 16, 2024 at 1:27 PM

    What a fun idea! Maybe I'll try to join in 2025, and it'll get me making new recipes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 16, 2024 at 1:56 PM

      It is great that it's just one recipe a month so it's easy to fit in and it does get me reading and trying out new recipes.

      Delete
  17. Nancy 's Fashion StyleDecember 16, 2024 at 2:07 PM

    I have made those too but added bacon and sour cream!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 16, 2024 at 3:44 PM

      That sounds yummy! We had bacon as a side dish (well, the boys did anyway).

      Delete
  18. Kim CarberryDecember 16, 2024 at 4:14 PM

    I love Nigella! She is just brilliant, especially at Christmas!
    Those pancakes look so good!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Tanya December 16, 2024 at 4:25 PM

    This is such a fun idea for a blog post. I'm going to check out the host blogger. I can see how the pumpkin pancakes might taste a little different in a British cookbook. From living over there, I learned that "pumpkin spice" is not really a popular flavor there, and that their pancakes are often more like crepes. I had a big learning curve when we lived there because many of their ingredients are a little different too. Hope you have a festive week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 17, 2024 at 4:37 AM

      I was kind of surprised that these were more American pancake looking; in fact I'd say her pancake batter in the video was still thicker than mine even after I had added additional flour but I knew they weren't going to have any pumpkin spice flavor just from reading the recipe-- it just didn't dawn on me to add my own until after we had eaten them! LOL.

      Delete
  20. Carol @Comfort Spring StationDecember 16, 2024 at 5:52 PM

    It really sounds delicious! #MMBC

    ReplyDelete
  21. MarshaDecember 16, 2024 at 10:30 PM

    Those pancakes look delicious, but I bet a dab of cream cheese frosting would make them even better...hahaha!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

    ReplyDelete
  22. AnonymousDecember 16, 2024 at 11:38 PM

    You know, I've always flipped past these (Pumpkin isn't a big thing other than as a vegetable in Aus) but these look great. Thanks for linking up.

    ReplyDelete
  23. sherryDecember 16, 2024 at 11:42 PM

    I adore Nigella and have watched her tv shows many times. and i have her dvd's! and most of her cookbooks. Not a massive fan of pancakes but hubby is!
    happy christmas
    cheers
    sherry

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 17, 2024 at 4:39 AM

      She's not really well known on this side of the world but I can see why she's so popular. Her recipes look fantastic.

      Delete
  24. Jen WhiteDecember 17, 2024 at 6:41 AM

    I remember watching Nigella on TV. Those pecans look delish!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 17, 2024 at 1:57 PM

      I had never heard of her before I started reading Joanne's books.

      Delete
  25. Soma @ InkTorrents.comDecember 17, 2024 at 2:48 PM

    She is my favourite. I have her books and DVDs as well as many recipes from her website. I got a kitchen scale and I pretty much bake everything using metric measurements now a days. Your pancakes look delicious. I can't eat nuts, but I would love them with banana.

    -Soma

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 19, 2024 at 10:19 AM

      My son has a kitchen scale since that's how he's learned to make most baking recipes too but it's so foreign to me!

      Delete
  26. Women Living Well After 50December 17, 2024 at 3:45 PM

    Nigella is a great personality and you just want to cook when you watch her TV series. Your pancakes with pecans would certainly have been appreciated in your house, Joanne. Have a lovely week. Sue L.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Darlene FosterDecember 18, 2024 at 11:18 AM

    These pancakes look deliciuos, especially with the candied pecans. A great choice. Perfect for Christmas morning.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 19, 2024 at 10:19 AM

      Definitely! They'd be great for Christmas morning.

      Delete
  28. SlabsDecember 18, 2024 at 9:14 PM

    Thank you for sharing and participating at SSPS 341 Joanne. See you at #342, Jan 6. Merry Christmas/Happy Festive Season.

    ReplyDelete
  29. KirstinDecember 19, 2024 at 8:46 AM

    Ooooo those look yummy! perfect for fall through winter. The pecans would add a special touch. Nice job.

    ReplyDelete

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