Are you looking for a fun Christmas morning breakfast?  Or maybe just something different than your standard bowl of Cheerios?  Or heck, we've all had a challenging 2020; perhaps you'd just like to spoil yourself?  Check out these decadent cinnamon bun pancakes.  Swirls of cinnamon made from brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon run through these lovely pancakes and melt in your mouth.  As if that weren't spoiling enough, after we plate them, we drizzle them with some ooey-gooey vanilla frosting, and if you're up for it, some maple syrup. 

You'll never want to eat plain pancakes again.  It's like you're indulging in a Cinnabon for breakfast.

Don't let the three steps discourage you.  None of them are complicated.  Trust me, your swirls don't have to be perfect!  Just get that mixture in the pancake.  Using your favorite box pancake mix creates a nice shortcut.  I've just always liked boosting the flavor with a little cinnamon and nutmeg.  So, stack those cakes high, and get your drizzle on!  

Recipe for Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Swirl:

• 2/3 cup light brown sugar

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Icing:

• 1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 3 tablespoons milk

• Pinch of kosher salt

Pancakes:

• 2 cups Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix, or your favorite box mix 

• 1 1/2 cups water

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2-3 dashes ground nutmeg

• Olive oil cooking spray, to grease

• Maple syrup, optional

Directions:

For the swirl:  In a small bowl, whisk the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon together.  Pout into a plastic Ziplock sandwich bag.  Seal and set aside.  

For the icing:  In a medium bowl, whisk the confectioners’ sugar, butter, milk, and salt together until well combined and smooth.  Set aside.

For the pancakes:  In a large bowl, mix the pancake mix, water, cinnamon, and nutmeg together.  If you like your pancakes thinner, add more water.  If you like them thicker, add more pancake mix.  Preheat a griddle (or nonstick skillet) over medium heat.  Lightly spray it with olive oil cooking spray.  Cut a ¼ inch off the corner of the Ziplock bag with the cinnamon swirl.  Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop ¼ cup of the batter onto the griddle.  Before it cooks too much, quickly pipe a swirl of the cinnamon mixture into the pancake, starting in the center and swirling outwards.  Repeat with as many pancakes that fit on your griddle without overcrowding them.  Cook until you see bubbles form on top, about 2-3 minutes.  Flip and cook until the other side is browned, about 2 minutes.  Repeat until all the batter, and cinnamon swirl are used.  I like to lightly spray the olive oil cooking spray in between each round of pancakes, because it crisps them nicely on the edges.  As you're cooking them, you can lightly cover them with foil to keep them warm.  

To plate:  Place a stack of pancakes, swirl side up on a plate, and drizzle with the icing.  If using maple syrup, drizzle it overtop now.