The best way to celebrate on a weekend morning is to make these Cinnamon Roll Pancakes! These fluffy, perfect pancakes are swirled with a cinnamon- sugar mixture and topped with a cream cheese drizzle. They’re awesome!!!
Watch the short video showing you how to make these Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, then scroll to the bottom of this post and print out the recipe so you can make them at home.
National Pancake Day
If you’ve ever thought you needed a reason to eat pancakes, today is the day: National Pancake Day!
Eat a short stack for breakfast, enjoy them for lunch, or make a dinner out a manhole-sized pancake… guilt free… because you’re merely celebrating their existence.
How do you like your pancakes? Buttermilk? Sweet Potato?
Whole Grain? Fruit topped? Whipped Cream?
What are the best pancakes?
I don’t usually care for any of that fancy stuff, but I can tell with absolute certainty that over-cooked, crusty pancakes have no place in my world. I like my pancakes fluffy.
And sometimes I like slices of banana cooked inside. A good dose of real maple syrup is what I prefer to drizzle on top.
But recently I started dreaming about mixing cinnamon rolls and pancakes together… and this is what I came up with- my new favorite pancake: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes. Here are some tips for how to be successful with these!
How do you make Cinnamon Roll Pancakes?
When you make cinnamon roll pancakes, it’s not much more difficult than making regular pancakes, but it’s a little more messy because of the cinnamon swirl. Follow the tips below, and you’ll have some great pancakes. NOTE: these take a little practice to get just right!
Tips explained:
- use a nonstick skillet or griddle: these are sticky, so if you can do anything to help prevent extreme stickiness then do it!
- use a thin metal spatula for flipping: because they’re a bit precarious, a thin spatula will work best.
- use an ice cream scoop for the batter: this just makes it easier to measure so they’re all similarly sized.
- allow pancake to cook and form bubbles before adding swirl: you don’t want the swirl to have time to melt into the batter, so adding it at the last minute will help it stay intact.
- the cinnamon swirl must be thick: thin swirl will run all over the place.
- don’t get the swirl too close to the edge of the pancake- see photo above!
- flip the pancake smoothly and quickly: so the swirl will stay in place!
- wipe pan between pancakes: or the sugar in the pan may burn.
I have a wonderfully fluffy pancake batter that I like to use (recipe below) so I swirl a bit of cinnamon roll filling into the pancake.
And they cook up just like a pancake- fluffy, but with craters of crusty, sugary cinnamon swirled within.
You might find three of these stacked in a fancy breakfast restaurant, but I’m gonna tell you that one pancake is all you need.
It’s like eating a cinnamon roll, and no one needs more than one cinnamon roll for breakfast. Or certainly no more than two 😉
See, just like a cinnamon roll. Love this. I can eat this pancake just as you see it, but you really need to add the glaze to get the full cinnamon roll-effect. Read on…
Oh yeah. A warmed cream cheese glaze drizzled on top really completes this pancake. No syrup needed.
Let me say that again: No. Syrup. Needed.
There you have it: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with lots of ooey, gooey cream cheese glaze drizzled on top.
Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a pancake today. Go get ’em.
These babies are just like eating a cinnamon roll, which is a perfectly okay… once in a while, right?
I mean, it’s not like I put chocolate chip cookie dough in them or anything. Hmmmm.
If you’re coming here to sample these delicious Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, you just might like the latest recipe that I’ve posted for Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes and Gingerbread- Cinnamon Roll Pancakes too.
And if you just love pancakes in general, you must try The Best Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes and Peanut Butter- Chocolate Chip Pancakes. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Ingredients
CINNAMON FILLING:
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, just melted (not boiling)
- 6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
- 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
PANCAKES:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
Instructions
PREPARE CINNAMON FILLING:
- In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a quart-sized heavy zip baggie and set it aside (see *Tips below).
PREPARE GLAZE:
- In a small pan, heat the butter over low heat until melted. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until it is almost smooth. Sift the powdered sugar into the pan, stir and add in vanilla extract. Set the pan aside while you make the pancakes.
PREPARE PANCAKE BATTER:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the milk, egg and oil, just until the batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).
COOK THE PANCAKES:
- Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-heat and spray with nonstick spray. Use an ice cream scoop (or ⅓ cup measuring cup) to add the batter to the pan. Use the bottom of the scoop or cup to spread the batter into a circle (about 4-inches in diameter). Reduce the heat to medium low. Snip the corner of your baggie of cinnamon filling and squeeze the filling into the open corner. When your pancake begins to form bubbles, add the filling. Starting at the center of the pancake, squeeze the filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl (just as you see in a regular cinnamon roll). Cook the pancake 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bubbles begin popping on top of the pancake and it's golden brown on the bottom. Slide a thin, wide metal spatula underneath the pancake and gently but quickly flip it over. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well. When you flip the pancake onto a plate, you will see that the cinnamon filling has created a crater-swirl of cinnamon. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling. Re-warm the glaze briefly, if needed. Serve pancakes topped with a drizzle of glaze.
Notes
TIPS:
- *Quick and easy tip: Use a boxed pancake mix as the base for this recipe.
- *Tips for the cinnamon filling: Before swirling, open up the baggie again and give it a good stir to re-incorporate any butter that may have separated from the sugar. You want the mixture to thicken a bit- it's best when it's similar to the squeezing texture of a tube of toothpaste, which will happen if you leave it at room temperature for several minutes. Don't try to use the filling for the pancake swirl unless it has thickened as it will be too runny to make a solid swirl.
- *Keep the heat low or your pancakes might cook up too quickly. Don't flip them until you see those bubbles starting to pop on top. Flip them with a wide spatula so you can grasp the whole thing without batter and filling dripping all over the place!
- *I wrote a very detailed post on how to get the cinnamon filling *just right* on my Gingerbread- Cinnamon Roll Pancakes Post. Check it out before you attempt these!
- *If you're trying to justify your intake of decadent cinnamon rolls, you can make this a tad bit healthier by using half whole-wheat flour and low fat cream cheese, or enjoy the pancakes without glaze.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This has to be the best homemade pancake recipe! Thank you for sharing!
OH my goodness – these were the BEST! I made them for breakfast and my kiddos are in love:)
Thanks for the recipe – I’m going to try the pumpkin ones on Christmas morn.
Found ya on Pinterest.
Hi! I’m fifteen and was craving cinnamon when woke up! I found this recipe and instantly fell in love. So, I made these! I’m still eating these, but I’m very happy. These made my day.
Found your recipe on Pinterest a few weeks back and couldn’t wait to try it! I followed the recipe and your tips exactly and had no trouble with the cinnamon mixture at all, it formed perfect swirls that ‘grooved’ in the batter and didn’t burn, and the pancakes were fluffy. Unfortunately, the TASTE was not a hit with my family however… they found the pancake batter tasted far too ‘eggy’ for them, (More like french toast than the usual buttermilk pancake batter they’re used to) and the cinnamon swirls really stick to the teeth. I do love the look and idea of these however, so I will try ‘tweaking’ by using our regular pancake mix … but wondering how I could make the cinnamon swirls less ‘sticky’ ?
Not sure on the cinnamon swirl…
I tried these and had a comical experience-definitely not as pretty as yours, but SO GOOD. I even wrote a blog entry about it. (You can read it here to see pictures of how ugly mine were http://thebaboo.com/?p=142) Thanks for the recipe!
This is a great simple recipe, but if you like fluffy pancakes separate the egg and add the yoke but beat the whites until fluffy than fold into mixture.
I made these and the concept is great but the pancake batter is WAY to salty. Next time I think I’ll use my favorite pancake recipe with the swirl and frosting 🙂
Really? I’ve not noticed… you’re the 1st to mention that. There’s really not an unusual amount of salt in there. I’ll have to pay close attention next time I make it!
My 8 year old daughter declared, “These are not good!” I was floored!! But she continued on to say, “These are DELICIOUS! The best pancakes EVER!!” I second that!! I ended up with thick pancake batter and just poured in more buttermilk till they were the consistency I wanted and they still puffed up and were A!MAZ!ING!!!!! You do have to be patient and let them cook really good on the first side so when you flip them you don’t need to let them cook so long and end up burning the swirl. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!! My new favorite breakfast!
Fun! Love that story- thank you!
I just made these, and let me tell you, they were loved by all! My pancake batter seemed a bit thin and didn’t get very tall, but the end result was still very good! I learned that not as much butter is required in the cinnamon/brown sugar filling. After pouring out the excess butter, my filling was bit thicker and was much better to use. I ended up quadrupling the pancake batter to only a double of the filling and topping, and didn’t have much of the filling or topping left over (had to make a second double recipe of the pancake batter while in the process!)
Thank you for the awesome recipe, this will definitely be a “do over” in our home!
I made these this morning as a special treat for my girls (the boys had all left the house). YUM! They are delish, but one is enough. 🙂
I was worried at first, because they didn’t “look” right to me, but going back and looking at your pictures, they were exact. I didn’t notice the “grooves” from the cinnamon part in your pics, so when my came out “groovy” I was wondering what I did wrong. Turns out yours are groovy too… and it works, ’cause the icing goes down into the grooves.
Yeah, groovy is good 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!