People often ask me how I decide to cook what I do. Sometimes it’s planned: holidays, occasions, special days (birthdays, etc) dictate to some degree. Random recreations happen from delicious meals recently eaten (exhibit A: brussels sprouts with cilantro tahini dressing). Magazines, and click bait might inspire some more. And when I’m really at a loss, I step back at my master list of recipes and see where on the map I haven’t visited for a while, and this last reason is how I came up with these cinnamon roll pancakes.
I’m sure you’ve seen cinnamon roll pancakes before. Heck, you perhaps even made them before. I know that Chicago’s most popular brunch spots each boast their own version on their menus and frankly, it’s not something that I ever really gravitated towards because when it comes to brunch, I’m a savory girl (hello, crab cake bennies!). However, in looking at the aforementioned master list recently, I realized that Scandinavia and it’s countries sort of got the shaft the first time around, and I’m remedying it by slowly going back and paying homage, one at a time.
The inspiration for these came from the beloved Finnish cinnamon rolls called korvapuusti. However, I decided to not go ahead and make the actual version of cinnamon rolls because yo, party of 1 over here and also, they seemed remarkable similar to the Swedish ones that I’d already made! Maybe then not so surprising that I jumbled those Scandinavian countries all together on my first go around the my virtual globe.
For these, I took my tried and true Sunday pancake recipe (though you can use your favorite pancake mix for sure) and inserted some decidedly Finnish elements: cardamom powder in the batter, and pearl sugar crystals for added jazz. A sort of cinnamon sugar paste creates the swirl and delicious caramelization. And finally, topped with pecans and just a drizzle of syrup (because OMG sugar rush!), we’re good to go with a recipe that would delight any brunch buddy with a sweet tooth.
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
December 4, 2019
: 6-8 pancakes
: 10 min
: 20 min
: 30 min
: Easy
Sweet, Finnish inspired cinnamon roll pancakes filled with a cinnamon sugar swirl and a hint of cinnamon.
Ingredients
- For the pancake mix:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup milk (may need a little more if your batter is too thick)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- *in lieu of the flours/baking powder, feel free to use 1 cup of your favorite pancake mix)
- For the cinnamon syrup:
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 6 TB packed light brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup pearl sugar crystals (optional)
- Pecans, to serve (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 First, make the cinnamon sugar: Mix together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Pour into a ziploc bag and set aside to thicken slightly before making the pancakes.
- Step 2 Second, make the pancakes: In a small bowl, mix together the eggs and milk an beat until combined. Add the flours, baking powder and cardamom and mix until just combined (a few lumps are fine).
- Step 3 In a non-stick pan over medium heat, grease the pan with butter, just slightly and add 1/3 cup batter to the pan. Snip the corner of your ziploc bag and slowly drizzle a swirl of the cinnamon sugar onto the wet batter, much like you would see in a cinnamon roll. Add about 1 TB of the sugar crystals, if adding and continue cooking until bubbles form. Flip the pancake and cook an additional 1-2 minutes until cooked through.
- Step 4 Repeat with remaining batter. You may not use all the cinnamon sugar. Serve with your favorite syrup (but you probably don’t need it!)
