Fluffy Cinnamon Roll Pancakes (Printable version)

Fluffy pancakes infused with cinnamon and finished with a luscious cream cheese glaze.

# What You Need:

→ Pancake Batter

01 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
03 - 1 tablespoon baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 1/4 cups whole milk
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Cinnamon Swirl

09 - 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
10 - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
11 - 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

→ Cream Cheese Glaze

12 - 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
13 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
14 - 3/4 cup powdered sugar
15 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 - 2 tablespoons whole milk

# How to Make It:

01 - Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
02 - In a separate bowl, whisk milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla until blended. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk gently until just combined. Allow batter to rest.
03 - Combine melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Transfer the mixture to a piping or zip-top bag and snip a small corner for piping.
04 - Beat softened cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, then whisk in milk until glaze reaches a pourable consistency.
05 - Preheat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat and lightly grease. Pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto the surface.
06 - Pipe the cinnamon mixture onto each pancake in a swirl pattern. Cook until bubbles form on the surface, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip carefully and cook for another 2 minutes until golden and cooked through.
07 - Serve pancakes warm with a generous drizzle of the cream cheese glaze.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They taste like dessert for breakfast but won't make you feel guilty because you made them yourself.
  • The cream cheese glaze is so ridiculously good that people will ask for the recipe before they even finish eating.
  • You can have them on the table in 40 minutes, which means indulgence without the early morning stress.
02 -
  • Don't overmix the pancake batter—it should still look slightly lumpy when it hits the griddle, because overmixing develops gluten and makes them tough and rubbery instead of tender.
  • The piping bag trick for the cinnamon swirl is a game-changer because it keeps the swirl from sinking into the raw batter where it can't create those pockets of flavor.
  • Medium-low heat is non-negotiable—too high and the outside burns while the inside stays raw and doughy, which I learned the hard way on my first batch.
03 -
  • Softening cream cheese at room temperature takes about an hour, but you can speed it up by cutting it into cubes—they'll soften in half the time.
  • If you're cooking for a group, prep your cinnamon swirl and glaze the night before and store them in the fridge; you'll only need to make the batter fresh in the morning.
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