Pumpkin Spice Pancakes with Warm Pumpkin-Maple Syrup

Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl. Melt 3 tbsp of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until just liquid, then take the pan off the heat.

Tip: The pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, so the batter needs no sugar and only a little cinnamon.

Make a well in the dry mix and add the eggs, 1 1/2 cups of the pumpkin pie filling, the milk and the melted butter. Stir with the whisk just until no dry flour shows, then rest the thick orange batter for 5 minutes.

Tip: A few small lumps are fine; overmixing makes the pancakes tough.

Cook the pancakes: set the skillet over medium heat, wipe it with a little butter and pour in 1/4 cup of batter per pancake, three at a time. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles open on top and the edges look dry, then flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until deep golden.

Tip: Pumpkin batter colours fast because of the sugar, so drop to medium-low if the first side darkens before the bubbles show.

Stack the finished pancakes on a plate under a clean kitchen towel and cook the rest of the batter the same way, buttering the pan lightly between batches, about 12 minutes in total, until the bowl is empty.

Tip: The towel keeps the stack warm and soft without an oven.

Simmer the maple syrup, the remaining pumpkin pie filling and 1 tbsp of butter in the same skillet over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking, until smooth, glossy and pourable.

Tip: Add a splash of water if the syrup thickens too much as it stands.

Serve the pancakes in tall stacks with the warm pumpkin-maple syrup poured over the top, letting it run down the sides.