Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Make breakfast an experience with Cinnamon Roll Pancakes! A twist on the brunch classic, these homemade pancakes feature cinnamon-sugar swirls and are topped with a cream cheese glaze. Perfect for weekends, holidays or even breakfast for dinner.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings pancakes

Calories 274kcal

Ingredients

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl

5 tablespoons salted butter melted and cooled slightly
½ cup brown sugar 100g
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Glaze

4 oz. cream cheese softened
½ cup powdered sugar 56g
¼ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 6g

Pancake Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour 240g
3 tablespoons granulated sugar 38g
2 teaspoons baking powder 12g
½ teaspoon baking soda 4g
½ teaspoon kosher salt 3g
1 ½ cups whole milk 382ml
2 eggs ~100g
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 6g
3 tablespoons unflavored oil like vegetable, avocado or canola oil (30g)

Instructions

Make the Cinnamon Sugar Swirl

Combine the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
Stir until mixed well.
Transfer to a plastic bag or a piping bag, and set aside. (This will help us swirl the mixture into the pancakes without a lot of messiness. We’ll snip the bag when it’s time.)
Let this sit for 20-30 minutes.

Make the Cream Cheese Glaze

Combine the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract in the base of your food processor or a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Set aside until it’s time to serve your pancakes. You can also make this ahead of time, so you can store it in a food-safe container in the refrigerator.

Make the Pancakes

Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together until incorporated, and set aside.
Measure the milk, eggs, vanilla extract and oil into a smaller bowl. Use a fork to stir together until combined. Make sure the egg yolk and white are incorporated.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined with a rubber spatula. Be careful not to overmix, as this will affect the texture of the pancakes. Don’t fret about lumps — they’re OK.
Once the batter has been mixed, heat a nonstick skillet or a griddle over medium heat. Brush the pan with melted butter or unflavored cooking spray.
Dollop the pancakes onto the preheated skillet when ready using a cookie scoop or a measuring cup.
Snip a small corner off the piping/plastic bag, and swirl the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the pancakes. Cover with another small scoop of pancake batter. Doing this step will ensure the cinnamon-sugar mixture stays inside your pancake.
When several bubbles have formed on the surface, flip the pancakes, and cook through.
Wipe down the skillet between pancakes with a wet towel or cloth, and rebutter it each time. Why? This will ensure they don’t stick or become a mess.
Repeat until all of the pancakes have been made.
Stack the pancakes onto plates and serve with the cream cheese glaze.

Notes

This recipe makes 12 (2 tablespoon) pancakes. If you use a larger or smaller scoop, you will have fewer or more pancakes.

Here are a few tips to making the best pancakes at home:

Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately. It’s important to get the eggs incorporated into the other wet ingredients so you don’t have stray bits of egg white in your pancakes. Also, this will help you not overmix the batter once combined.
Don’t overmix the pancake batter! Lumps are OK—we just want the ingredients just incorporated.
Don't swirl the cinnamon-sugar super close to the edge of the pancakes. It'll bleed out onto the pan.
Wipe off the pan between rounds of pancakes, then brush it with butter or oil before making more. This will prevent any cinnamon-sugar that’s seeped out of the pancakes from burning in the skillet and making the rest of your pancakes bitter.

Nutrition