Pumpkin Pancakes with Maple Mascarpone -- What Babcia’s Kitchen Smells Like When Summer Ends

End of summer vibes. You can feel it — the light changes, gets a little golden in the evenings, and the mornings have that edge that says fall is coming. In Wisconsin, you learn to read these signs because winter is always closer than you think. Danny's been on my mind more than usual. The anniversary of his death was in March, his birthday was three weeks ago, and now it's late August, which is when we'd be getting ready for hockey season together. Danny was a center — fast, creative, always looking for the pass nobody else saw. I was his enforcer. Nobody touched Danny on the ice because they knew they'd have to deal with me. That was our deal. He skated, I protected. For four years. Until there was nothing left to protect. I visited his grave on Wednesday. No beer this time. Just sat there and talked. Told him about the Oktoberfest lager. Told him about my pork chops. He would have laughed at me cooking — genuinely laughed, not mean laughed. "Kowalski in the kitchen? What's next, you gonna start watching cooking shows?" Yeah, Danny. Maybe I will. At the brewery, we're full tilt into fall production. The Oktoberfest is almost ready — it's been lagering for weeks, cold and patient, and the samples are exactly what we wanted: malty, smooth, with a clean dry finish. Release is in two weeks. I helped build this beer from the ground up — malt bill to final product. That means something. I tried to make bratwurst at home this week. Not from scratch — I bought them from Kulig's, the butcher Babcia trusts — but I wanted to cook them properly. Simmered them in beer first (a technique I've seen Dad do), then finished them on my little charcoal grill. Served with sauerkraut and stone-ground mustard on a hard roll. They were good. Really good. Close to Dad's level. Not quite, but close. Sunday at Babcia's: she made racuchy — Polish apple fritters. Sliced apples in a sweet batter, fried and dusted with powdered sugar. She only makes these in late summer when the apples are starting to come in from the orchards. They're seasonal in the truest sense — you eat them for two months a year and then you wait. Babcia says, "Good things are worth waiting for." She and Marcus would get along.

Babcia’s racuchy got me thinking — the whole idea of a batter built around whatever the season gives you, fried up soft and golden and dusted with sugar. I don’t have her apple source yet (the orchards aren’t quite there), but I had a can of pumpkin in the pantry and that same late-August hunger for something that tastes like the turn. These gluten-free pumpkin pancakes with maple mascarpone aren’t racuchy, but they live in the same spirit: seasonal, unhurried, worth the wait. Danny would’ve eaten half the stack before I sat down.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Maple Mascarpone (Gluten Free)

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4 (about 12 pancakes)

Ingredients

• For the pancakes:
• 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (or dairy-free alternative)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon melted butter or coconut oil, plus more for the pan
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• For the maple mascarpone:
• 8 oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Instructions

1. Make the maple mascarpone. In a small bowl, stir together mascarpone, maple syrup, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
3. Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, buttermilk, eggs, maple syrup, melted butter, and vanilla extract until well combined.
4. Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined — a few small lumps are fine. Do not overmix. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes while your pan heats up.
5. Cook the pancakes. Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat and lightly grease with butter or oil. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Cook until bubbles form on the surface and the edges look set, about 2–3 minutes. Flip and cook another 1–2 minutes until cooked through and golden.
6. Serve. Stack pancakes and top generously with maple mascarpone. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 10g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 46g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 380mg