Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

 

Yesterday morning I was lying in bed checking out Pinterest on my phone. My friend Colleen had pinned some Cinnamon Roll Pancakes and I knew I needed to make them immediately. A quick glance at the ingredient list told me I had everything I needed to make them, even cream cheese, which I rarely have in the house. It was fate.

Now, I'm pretty lazy, especially on a Sunday when I didn't need to get dressed or leave the house, so rather than making the pancakes from scratch, I made them from a mix. I was a Bisquick girl for many many years, because that's what my mom always made, but I recently discovered Whole Foods' 365 Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix, and it results in delicious, fluffy waffles every time. So that's what I used as my base.

To do the cinnamon swirl, the recipe recommended putting the mixture in a plastic bag and cutting off the corner, using it as a makeshift pastry bag. However, I decided to use a squeeze bottle because I figured it would give me more control. It was actually a good thing I went that route, because I had a good bit of mixture leftover and am now storing it in the bottle in my fridge. You might want to consider halving the recipe for the cinnamon filling unless you plan to make a ton of pancakes. I got 7 pancakes out of my batter (these are big half cup pancakes) and only used maybe half of the cinnamon mixture. This could possibly be because using the squeeze bottle resulted in thinner cinnamon ribbons than a plastic bag would have given me, but I think I'd still go the bottle route in the future. Here's how the pancakes looked before I flipped them and cooked the cinnamon roll side:

I also took a photo of what the pancakes looked like after cooking them but before adding the frosting. Just like a cinnamon roll! I should be clear that I did not eat this whole stack of pancakes - it was purely for photography purposes! I had two and they were so filling I couldn't possibly have eaten more. I put the rest into freezer bags to reheat for future breakfasts. Well, the rest minus two that I had to tearfully throw away because a glass fell out of my cabinet and shattered all over, leaving glass shards on two of my beautiful pancakes. So sad.

These would be great to make for a special breakfast on Thanksgiving or Christmas. Or just on a regular weekend when you want to indulge a little!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Recipe from Life in the Lofthouse

Ingredients:

For Pancakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten

(OR use a pancake mix, prepared as directed on the package)

Cinnamon Filling:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 Tbsp butter
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp milk or half & half (add gradually while stirring the mixture- you may need to use more or less depending on whether you want more of a spreadable frosting or a glaze to drizzle)

Directions:
You'll want to prepare the cinnamon filling first to give it a few minutes to thicken up a bit. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Spoon the filling into a small plastic bag or squeeze bottle and set aside.

Prepare your pancake batter by mixing the ingredients above or following the directions on your pancake mix of choice. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. You might want to use a non-stick spray if your skillet is not non-stick. I didn't need to and my pancakes released just fine. Scoop about 1/2 cup of pancake batter onto the skillet. Snip the corner of the bag containing the cinnamon filling and squeeze a spiral of the filling onto the top of the pancake. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a spatula and cook until lightly browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more.Remove pancake to a plate to keep warm and repeat with the rest of the batter.

As the pancakes are cooking, prepare the frosting. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat the butter and cream cheese until melted. Whisk together until smooth, then whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla. Add milk, a little bit at a time, under you reach the desired consistency.

When ready to serve, spread or spoon cream cheese frosting on top of each pancake. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or glass of milk!