Caitlin Bensel
If you think the world could be improved by more cinnamon roll-inspired foods on the breakfast table, we have a recipe for you. For those mornings when you can’t be bothered to shape a cinnamon roll, grab a mixing bowl and start pouring out pancakes.
These pancakes are a breakfast flavor bomb. They’re packed with cinnamon roll goodness and melt-in-your mouth texture. They’re sweet, but there’s no icing in sight. Instead, that brown-sugar sweetness is tempered by the depth of cinnamon, the warmth of vanilla, and the creaminess of whole milk. These pancakes are packed with all the cinnamon roll flavor you could ever want, with none of the cinnamon roll mess! Copy down this recipe and break it out the next time you have morning guests. They pair beautifully with a big cup of coffee, a glass of ice-cold milk, and a swirl of syrup—or a dollop cinnamon roll icing, if you’re feeling sweet.
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°F. Stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 cup room-temperature butter in a bowl until thoroughly blended. Spoon mixture into a ziplock plastic bag. Snip a 1/4-inch tip off 1 bag corner. Set aside.
Step 2
Whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of the milk in a bowl until smooth, adding up to 1 additional tablespoon of the milk as needed to reach desired glaze consistency. Set aside.
Step 3
Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together egg and remaining 3/4 cup milk in a bowl; gradually stir into flour mixture. Gently fold in 1 tablespoon melted butter. (Batter will be lumpy.)
Step 4
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium; coat with cooking spray. For each pancake, pour about 1/3 cup batter onto skillet. Pipe brown sugar-cinnamon mixture onto pancake in a spiral pattern, starting at center of pancake and ending at outer edge. Cook until top is covered with bubbles and edges appear slightly dry, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip; reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until pancake is fluffy and cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer pancake to a baking sheet; place in preheated oven to keep warm. Repeat process with remaining batter and brown sugar-cinnamon mixture, re-greasing skillet as needed. Drizzle cooked pancakes with glaze; serve.
