Chocolate Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with Icing

Don't they look scrumptious? Read below my attempt at creating these marvelous pancakes on a Sunday morning. Do I do it or does everything go up in flames?

Along with the two dogs, were two boys. A 17-year-old and a 10-year-old. Both great kids, well mannered. This is where my motivation sprung from. I wanted to be a cool babysitter. On Saturday night, the youngest mentioned pancakes for breakfast on Sunday morning. Upon waking up on Sunday morning, I was on a mission to make the BEST pancakes ever. But, I wanted these pancakes to be different, unique, memorable. Thus begins my journey in making chocolate cinnamon roll pancakes.

I'm stubborn. When I start something, I like to finish it. Creating these pancakes was no different. At 8:30 am, I began the journey of creating these scrumptious pancakes. Upon verification that the boys liked cinnamon rolls, I started gathering materials. Opening and closing the cabinets and fridge multiple times, I laid everything out that I needed. I check the clock and see that it's already 9:00 am and haven't even begun mixing ingredients.

Criticizing myself, I take a breath.

Another thing to know about me is that I get overwhelmed easily. I try to tackle multiple tasks at one time. So, I slow down and break up the recipe into three parts. I start on the icing. It's 9:30 am and my first problem arises. No buttermilk. But, I was able to find an alternate- cream of tarter and milk. Problem solved.

Moving on to the batter, the second (and third) problem arises. I can't find any ground cinnamon in the cupboard. Hello, cinnamon roll pancakes WITHOUT the cinnamon? Could I even call them that then? But, I did find nutmeg. I decided that that would have to do. Around this time, Matty (the 10-year-old) walks into the kitchen asking what I'm cooking. Flustered, I tell him to wait and see. He persists with questions and to keep him occupied, I ask "what's a pastry with cinnamon? That's what I'm making...but different." Then, I give him a smell of the batter that I just whipped up. Along with no nutmeg, I couldn't find any chocolate chips so, those were out. Having no nutmeg also impacted the cinnamon swirl batter but by that time, I wasn't having it. And just my luck, the recipe calls for vanilla extract but, none in sight. THANKFULLY, I was able to swap vanilla with almond extract.

I turn on the stove and warm up the skillet, ready to start cooking. The icing has been sitting and is ready to be poured on. The batter and cinnamon swirl mix are anxiously awaiting their moment. I grasp my measuring cup and scoop out a quarter mix. Plopping it on the warm skillet, I laugh. I'm not skilled enough to make a swirl with the cinnamon (now nutmeg) mix so, I just plop it on top and haphazardly swirl in the mix with a knife.

10:15 am and all 12 pancakes are finished. They're set out on the table with the icing. Beaming, I call Matty over to the table. David (the oldest) is still sleeping- his loss. With exhaustion, I sit down and grab a couple of pancakes. Matty takes one (sigh). As I pour the icing on, the smell of nutmeg and sweetness fills my nostrils. First bite and I'm in heaven. The 2-hour process was worth it. Matty said that the pancake was an 8/10; I'll take it.

Long story short, I would definitely make these pancakes again. But, instead of trying to be extravagant and a cool babysitter, just stick with the basics when dealing with kids because I would've been just fine making the Mickey Mouse pancakes that he wanted.

Now, let's get to the actual recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• Frosting:
  • 4 ounces of Cream Cheese softened
  • 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
  • 1 1/2 cup of Powdered Sugar
  • 1/2 cup of Milk
• Cinnamon Swirl:
  • 1 stick of butter softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
• Pancake Batter:
  • 2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons of firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups of Buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons of melted and cooled butter
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar together until well combined. Add milk and mix. Set aside.
2. Prepare the Cinnamon Swirl Mixture: Stir all ingredients together by hand or with a beater/mixer and add to disposable piping bag or plastic baggie with a small hole cut in the corner. Set aside.
3. Make the Batter: In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and whisk together. In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
4. Preheat a skillet to medium-high heat.
5. Spray with cooking spray or rub with butter.
6. Pour the pancake batter onto the hot pan using a 1/4 cup measuring cup.
7. Let the pancakes cook for about one minute; they will start to set up just slightly. Then use the piping bag to gently swirl the cinnamon mixture into the pancakes, pushing slightly into the batter so the cinnamon mixture is swirled into the batter, not just on top of the pancake. Keep the swirl close to the center of the batter so the mixture doesn’t melt off the side of the pancakes.
8. Gently press 5-8 chocolate chips on top of the cinnamon swirl.
9. when the edges start to look done, use a wide spatula to flip the pancakes.
10. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.
11. Serve with the frosting.

RECIPE NOTES

*You will want to wipe your pan clean every few pancakes so you don't get burnt cinnamon on the bottoms of your pancake.

Head on over to Half Baked Harvest website for more details on the recipe.

~Coach Karina, BS-Kinesiology, CF L1 Trainer, USAW Sports Performance Coach