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
Recipe Details
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.
Video
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.
Made these this morning…the cinnamon filling was still a little runny- will try adding more brown sugar or less butter next time, but boy they were still yummy. Thanks for a great recipe.
The pictures are gorgeous and look delicious, however, count me in to the ladies who had issues with them. 🙁 The batter didn’t have flavor and was not fluffy, the cooked pancakes came out very heavy and dense. I tried using a boxed mix with the swirl which was better but my mix was too runny. I will try them again but with a boxed mix and softened (not melted) butter.
Great idea though!
If you melt the butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture and then let it sit for a while, it will eventually turn into a consistency similar to toothpaste. I’ve found that’s the easiest consistency to work w/ for these pancakes.
you are a genius! these ROCK! my boys are having a very HAPPY Saturday Morning breakfast! 🙂
Recipe Girl….I think I love you!!! =) YUMMO!!!!!!
I come from Serbia and I’m on a hunt for a great pancake recipe,because here people make something similar to crepes. This looks really really good and I can’t wait to see will the recipe fulfill my expectation,but I hope it certainly will 🙂
OMG… I can’t believe how amazing these look. Can’t wait to try them.
If anything could be more than perfect, it’d be these.
They were so good!
Thank you for sharing. =]
These were absolutely delicious! I only did one thing different-there was some extra cinnamon sugar butter left over after I finished grilling the pancakes, so I drizzled it on top of each finished pancake, inside the crispy cinnamon sugar indentations before topping with the cream cheese glaze. It added to the crispy/gooey effect that we all love when we eat cinnamon rolls. This is definitely a crowd pleaser, and easy too!
I made these this morning. They were delicious. My family loved them!
Found you through Tip Junkie. 🙂 These look amazing!!! I will definitely be making these in the next couple days. Thanks for sharing!
I made these for my son for breakfast this morning. Delish…he was in cinnamon bun pancake heaven. This is an outstanding recipe. Thank you Lori.
These were so good! My new favorite pancakes.
Can’t WAIT to try these!!! The pictures are mouth-watering!
I saw this over on Dawns blog….she link you ….and I had to check it out….I’ve printed your recipe out and will give it a try….my DH and I love cinnamon rolls and I bet we will love it…..will let you know when I make them….thank you for sharing this with us…can’t wait to make them…..
OMGoodness… these look absolutely scrumptuous! Can’t wait to try them!! Thanks!
I made these for breakfast this morning and OH MY GOSH were they FANTASTIC! I followed your recipe exactly and they turned out great. My family thinks I’m amazing this morning. 😀
THESE WERE AMAZINGGG!!! Everyoneeee loved them!! I made them for breakfast when we had visitors over this weekend and they were SUCH a HUGGEEE success! thankss!
Fantastic idea, but the pancake recipe was terrible if i’m being honest. I tried it twice and both times my pancakes were inedible. I like fluffy pancakes, these “pancakes” were like pitas, very dense. The next time I will use my own pancake recipe with your cinnamon filling. Thank you though, I had fun with this!
@Jennifer, no offense taken… I’m not sure what happened when you made it but mine came out nice and fluffy! It’s my basic pancake mix that I use for everyday pancakes. In any case, you can certainly use another pancake recipe- even a boxed mix probably, but the batter has to be “slightly” thick or the cinnamon filling will just run all over.
hi. what an awesome idea. cinnamon roll pancakes! i love it. i’ve put cinnamon in my pancakes lots of time, but to swirl it like that – awesome.
I made these for 6 people and we DEVOURED them. They came out beautiful and scrumptious. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Lori,
Thanks so much for this recipe. I rec’d it from Erin @ Trial and Erin. It was great although I had trouble with it. I am pancake inept so didnt give it much thought. I did modify it and was able to make something edible…LOL Thanks so much for your inspiration. Please check out the recipe on my blog..as I have mentioned you and credited you for the recipe. http://foodslove.blogspot.com/2011/03/ugly-cinnamon-roll-pancakes.html
Thanks for the great recipe! Our pancakes turned out great and were delicious! I blogged about it here: http://unleashingmycreativity.blogspot.com/2011/03/recipe-review.html Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Wow! This looks just the Cinnamon Roll Pancakes I saw (and you commented on way back) on BigRedKitchen.com. She has great ideas, no?!
@Tonya, Ok, I just looked those up and that’s really bizarre… I have zero recollection of commenting on Robin’s post at all. Blog brain freeze, I guess. Here’s the recipe from The Red Kitchen http://www.bigredkitchen.com/2010/06/cinnamon-roll-pancakes.html. She suggests using a pancake mix as a base & her photo makes them look more like cinnamon rolls!
I just finished eating one of these and I’m just blown away. They are SO good! Thanks for the recipe! This is going to become a family favorite!
Gulp. Want.