Orange Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Orange Cinnamon Roll Pancakes - made November 16, 2012 from Hun...What's for Dinner blog

Thanksgiving is over in the US - I'll post some pics of our feast later but for now, back to a pre-Thanksgiving recipe I tried earlier:

I usually work from home on Fridays and I really appreciate the flexibility to do so.  But one of the downsides when I'm busy all week is when Friday comes and I power up my laptop first thing in the morning then go looking into my cupboards for something to eat, I realize I've been too busy to go grocery shopping and my cupboards are bare of "real food".  I typically don't notice during the week because I can always pop out to get something for lunch when I'm in the office and in the earlier part of the week, I'll usually have enough to scrounge up for dinner when I get home.  The game changes by the time Friday morning rolls around and I'm staring into the depths of my fridge.  "Empty" to me means I'm stocked up on baking ingredients (butter, eggs, baking powder, baking soda, cream cheese, whole milk - only for baking since I don't drink milk - and buttermilk). Plus some apples and oranges because I like my fruit cold. But no protein in sight.  When I work from home, I don't like to be away from my computer so it's harder for me to leave the house to go get something to eat.  So I get creative with what I have on hand.

My jacked-up attempt at swirling

Which is my lead in to the fact that I actually ended up having breakfast food for breakfast last Friday because pancakes were the only things I conceivably had all the ingredients for.  Which was a good thing because these turned out to be awesome pancakes.  Have you ever had those Pillsbury orange rolls?  The kind you pop the dough out of the can, roll them up, bake then frost with the orange glaze? They're best lukewarm with the orange glaze melting off of the rolls.  Well, that's what these pancakes reminded me off.  The healthy amount of baking powder ensures these rise admirably and have a fluffy texture.  But what really made these pancakes was the glaze.  They gave them a nice orange flavor and sweetness.  The pancake itself was pretty filling so I only had one (the double stack was for picture taking purposes only, ha) so you might want to make these small or else serve them for a crowd.

There are several components to this but it's still easy to make.  I would recommend you make the cinnamon swirl first then the glaze then the pancakes.  That way, when you cook the pancakes, you have everything else ready.  These are best eaten warm with the glaze melting over them.  Trust me.

Pancakes
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
a few drops of orange extract
3/4 - 1 cup milk

Cinnamon Swirl
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Orange Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
1-2 tablespoons orange juice

1. Preheat a griddle pan over medium low heat.
2. In a bowl, combine the egg, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and oil. Add in 3/4 cup milk and orange extract; stir well. Add flour and baking powder, mixing until well combined; adding more milk if needed (do not over stir, it will cause tough pancakes).
3. In a small bowl, combine the butter, 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Place into a zip top bag. Snip a small hole, in one end of the bag and set aside.
4. Spray griddle pan with cooking spray and ladle batter onto preheated griddle. Squeeze the butter mixture onto pancake, while going in a circular motion. When bubbles start forming on the pancake and edges are set, flip to cook the other side; about 2-3 minutes. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes on second side. Plate pancakes, swirl side up; adding more of the butter mixture into the swirl, if desired.
5. In a third bowl, mix the powdered sugar with the orange zest and 1 tablespoon orange juice; stir until smooth, adding more orange juice to create a thin glaze. Drizzle glaze over cooked pancakes.