Homemade Cinnamon Syrup

I wanted to make pancakes after both of my girls had sleepovers and we were out of maple syrup.  So I made my own!  Wow this was easy and soooo much better than the bottled syrup from the grocery store.  I loved the added cinnamon which made everything taste so warm and homey.  Super easy and I'm sure you have all of the ingredients on hand at home to whip up a batch of your own.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons butter

Preparation:

In a microwavable dish add all ingredients except for butter.  Microwave at high for 1 minute.  Remove, stir and microwave a second time for 1 minute.  Remove from microwave, stir in butter until melted, cool and serve over your favorite pancakes, waffles or french toast!  Pour left overs in an air tight container and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Perfect Thin Pancakes

If you like pancakes that are thicker than a crepe but thinner than the usual pancake then this is the recipe for you.  This super simple recipe takes just a minute to whip up and is super delicious.  They  are thin and buttery with crispy edges, totally irresistible.  Serve with warm maple syrup, powdered sugar or plain straight out of the skillet.  I promise you will LOVE these for anytime of the day or night.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
additional butter for cooking

Preparation:

In a medium bowl beat together the eggs, milk vanilla and melted butter.  Next add in flour, baking powder, sugar and salt and whisk until smooth.   Place a teaspoon of butter in a non stick skillet or on a griddle pan and spread out evenly.   Add about 1/4 cup of batter to the hot, buttered skillet.  When batter begins to set around the edges, carefully flip pancake using a large spatula.  Cook other side of pancake until golden brown and pancake is cooked all the way through.   Add another teaspoon of margarine to hot skillet in-between cooking each pancake, this will ensure a delicious crispy edge on each pancake.  Transfer pancakes to a serving tray and enjoy!  Serve with warm maple syrup or powdered sugar.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Thanks Jill for suggesting this recipe.  Nanci and I made a huge mess of my kitchen trying to make the perfect cinnamon roll pancake for picture sake.  OMG we almost gave up but it was the last pancake that finally worked well enough (but still isn't very pretty).  I think it's a great recipe and very tasty so if you don't care what it looks like coming off the griddle then you will love this recipe.  If you are trying to blog it,

Good Luck!

(Adaptation from Big Red Kitchen)

Ingredients:

For the Cinnamon Filling...In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, mix until smooth:
1 stick softened butter, almost melty
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 T. cinnamon

Using a rubber spatula to scrape the sides, pour this mixture into a large pastry bag that had been opened and stood up in a tall tumbler. A large ziptop bag with the edges folded over the tumbler would work too.

For the Icing...
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 T. milk

Mix until smooth and pour into a second pastry bag just like you did with the cinnamon mixture above.

For the Pancakes...
In the same bowl that you used for the filling and the icing- no need to be using or washing too many bowls now- mix together:

Let's make this easy!! Use any pancake mix you desire.

Preparation:

In a large non-stick skillet, over medium to medium-low heat, and using a 1/4 cup dry measuring cup, ladle 2 pancakes. Snip the tip off the pastry bag containing the cinnamon filling so that the opening is a scant 1/2 inch wide, swirl over cooking pancakes in a circular motion- 3 go-a-rounds should do. Continue to cook the pancakes until bubbles form evenly through each cake.

Gently flip each pancake over and cook another 30-45 seconds, remove to a serving platter and serve immediately or keep warm covered in a warm oven. Continue with the rest of the batter.

Note- Using a damp paper towel, wipe your skillet after each pancake is made. This will keep the next pancake from sticking to any of the cinnamon filling that has leaked onto your skillet or griddle.
After I swirled each pancake with the cinnamon filling, I returned the pastry bag, tip down in the tumbler. This kept it from leaking all over.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I finally found a pancake recipe that I really, really like!

 

And some other people in my family seem to like it too!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoonS white sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.