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Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

I have a problem.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2014/01/24/cinnamon-roll-pancakes/

Every time I set foot in an IKEA store, I feel this sudden desire to go crazy and buy every last BESTÅ, every LUFTIG, every AKURUM and LYRIC and BERGSBO and KIVIK. Then I want to rush home, invite over all my friends, and eat KANELSNÄCKA (that would be “cinnamon rolls”) while we assemble my new dream apartment.

Luckily, last month I had an actual, legitimate excuse to do exactly this!

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

I bought the KIVIK couch, the BESTÅ shelves, and the HEMNES drawers, laid all the pieces out on the empty apartment floor (remember my soccer ball room?), and proceeded to build my dreams. When I was done, I was very proud.

However there was still that KANELSNÄCKA to see about…

Cinnamon Pancakes

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Adapted from Oatmeal Pancakes

  • tightly-packed 1 cup dates (140g)
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup milk of choice

Blend everything together in a small food processor (scraping the sides down occasionally) for a long time until completely smooth. Transfer to a small plastic bag, making sure to get every last bit out. (Make sure all air is out of bag, then close with a rubber band.) Cut just the very edge off one corner of the bag. Now set in the fridge and make your pancakes:

  • 1 cup Bob’s gluten-free flour or spelt or all-purpose flour (130g)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp uncut stevia or 3 tbsp pure maple syrup or agave
  • just under level 1 cup milk of choice (increase to 1 cup plus 2 tbsp if using stevia version)
  • 2 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil (20g)
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • Only if using the gluten-free flour, add 1/4 tsp xanthan gum

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes: Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl, and stir very well. Whisk together all liquid ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour the dry into wet, and stir to form a batter. (If the batter is too thin, just add a little more flour until you get a pancake-esque batter.) Lightly grease a medium skillet, and place over medium heat. When the pan is hot (see tip below), turn to low and drop one small ladelful into the pan. Immediately take your filling bag and squeeze in a swirl pattern over the pancake. Repeat with other pancakes. Flip pancakes with a spatula when the edges begin to look dry. Allow to cook one minute more, then remove from heat. I piped on my Healthy Cream Cheese frosting, but you can use any favorite frosting. Makes 20-24 pancakes (the size of the ones in the photos). You’ll have a lot of filling left over, but it’s best to make the whole amount for smooth blending. If you have a giant food processor, you might even want to make a double batch. TIP: Test the heat of your skillet by throwing a few drops of water onto the surface. When the water sizzles, the pan is ready for the pancake batter.

Click for: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes Nutrition Facts

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes. Recipe: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2014/01/24/cinnamon-roll-pancakes/

Question of the Day: Have you ever been to IKEA?

Does walking through yours make you crave cinnamon rolls as much as mine does? Link of the Day:

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Published on January 24, 2014

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been 
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ABC's 5 O’Clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

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88 Comments

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  1. Kelly says

    I checked the nutritional value. So, we can eat 10 of these, which is half the recipe, with only 290cal?
    This is like dreams come true !!

  2. Hollie says

    I’ve seen a few of these variations on instagram but yours are really cute. When I was traveling home from college I would stop at Ikea and spend far too much on new apartment things. Now I’ve honestly found some of my most prized possessions at thrift stores. They have some great furniture there!

  3. Kyla says

    Oh, isn’t this the craziest thing? I was planning on making pancakes later today, and then I found this. I gasped, too, because they looked so delish! Another bonus: I have this big bag of dates that I was gonna throw away, wasting them, but now I don’t need to!! Yay for dates and pancakes!!! I have been to Ikea- when I was a little girl. I would go into the playroom, and dart for the ball pit because I like being buried in plastic balls. Either that, or I’d go on a spinny chair and spin around. Nowadays I don’t live near an Ikea, so I haven’t been there.

  4. EVA says

    That’s it. I have no room in my dorm for a blender but this recipe has made it necessary that I get one and MAKE a place to store it.

    I’m always so overwhelmed with low low prices whenever I walk into IKEA that the three hours I spend there is usually me imagining my ideal home. Although, last time I went, I saw they had a gluten free almond cake that was unfortunately not dairy free. So I thought about that the whole ride home.

    • Alanna says

      Get a mini food processor! I have one from Cuisinart (they come in lots of fun colors), and it doesn’t hold much but it’s a perfect size for things like dates and single-serve banana ice cream, and it’s really compact. Easy to clean, too!

      • EVA says

        Thanks for the suggestion! If it’s cheap, then I’ll just forego the toaster oven I was going to buy and get the processor instead! But they better have a blue one.

        • Alanna says

          I think I paid around $40 for mine… not sure what a toaster over costs. LOL I’m sure they do have a blue one… mine is purple! (c:

          • EVA says

            SWEET! $40 is acceptable for my budget. My mom wanted to get me a NutriBullet, but that’s more of a smoothie thing and I am not a smoothie type of person. This lil’ gem sounds like it’s a LOT more worth it.

          • Alanna says

            I find it very handy. The only thing I don’t like is that it’s really loud, but it’s tolerable since I only run it for short bursts. Be careful, though… the S-blade is sharp!

          • EVA says

            Haha how did you know I was prone to cutting myself? Can’t even trust me with an Xacto knife! Well my popcorn maker sounds like a bulldozer and I use that at least once a week, so I think the roaring of a food processor won’t challenge my earbuds too badly.

  5. Emma of Zimt says

    Dang, Katie! Way to go all out!

    Have I ever been to Ikea… did I used to put Ikea on my list of places I wanted to go during the summer as a kid (ok young adult whatever)? YES. I used to pick out my dream room – there was one in particular I remember loving- bunk beds. How rad!

    Congratulations on your grown up purchases! Must be snazzy =)

  6. Catherine says

    I love your site and all of your posts! This idea is so creative, and YES going into Ikea makes me want to get all the cinnamon rolls. If you’d like, check out my blog for fun vegan recipes! XOXO

  7. Jules @ WolfItDown says

    No, no, no, this looks too delicious Katie!
    I love going to Ikea, if even just to feel a little more at home (being a Norwegian in Scotland sometimes has its downsides when the home-food-cravings comes along), AH and the meatballs!
    I might just have to try this one day, first, I need a proper food processor, looks amazing though! 😀 Happy Friday! x

  8. Emilylovesraisins says

    these pancakes are like my dreams (the good ones) put into edible form! AHH they’re so beautiful!
    Ikea… oh man that store is NOT okay. the smell of apple pie and cinnamon rolls is SO AHMAZING! you’d think the manager would NOT want customers drooling all over the furniture. Lol 😛

    • Emilylovesraisins says

      OH YEAH i had something i HAD to share with someone! This might sound a little crazy but here I go: I have discovered CHOCOLATE SOUP!!!
      -2 TBS cocoa powder
      -2 TBS (or maybe more for a less intense flavor) water
      -2-3 packets truvia (I like 2 for dark chocolate soup)
      -Extracts, cinnamon, add-ins, etc
      Mix it all together and eat!

      PS i apologize if i have accidentally copied someone’s recipe, let me know if i have! 🙂

      ps. I apologi

  9. Lydia says

    These pancakes kill two birds with one stone! I love cinnamon rolls, and I love cinnamon pancakes, and these are the best of both worlds.

    Ok, I think I’m the only one who doesn’t like ikea. I’ve only been there once and it was awful! I went with my family to shop for furniture for my brother’s new apartment… for 5 HOURS. Haha he’s so indecisive. I was bored out of my mind! For a while it was fun being in a store that big, but staring at bed frames gets boring after a while. Then we had to find the stuff in the storage area, then we had to assemble it! We did that for another 2 hours. I was so tired I was about to pass out. Since then I’ve refused to go back

  10. Katy says

    IKEA is the best! I just struggle going there because of the crowds. I could stomach it if I had some of these yummy pancakes to come home to. 🙂 Pinned!

  11. Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen says

    I love going to Ikea — my favourite things are for sure the cinnamon buns and stalking up on cheap scented candles which always seem to make an apartment more cozy! Love this recipe and just in time for Sunday morning brunch!! 🙂 Good luck assembling the Ikea furniture! 🙂

  12. Julie says

    Well, nobody else in the family wanted pancakes but I really wanted to try the cinnamon/date spread so I made it then put it in oatmeal. HOLY MOLY!!! So good, so simple, so fantastic!! Thank you. I’ll make the pancakes another time but today was cinnamon roll oatmeal. Mmmmmmm!!

  13. Preety says

    I couldn’t decide between this or your breakfast pizza so I combined the two 🙂 I made the basic pizzert recipe and added cinnamon, stevia, and chocolate chunks (also made using your 3 ingredient chocolate bar recipe). I made the cinnamon swirl using three dates, cinnamon, and as much milk/water needed. I made the pizzert batter and stuck it in the oven for about two minutes to allow it to set. I took it out and swirled the date paste in and put it back in the oven. I topped with it a banana “icing” made from smashed banana, hot water, milk, truvia, vanilla and cinnamon. It was delicious! hhah I’m sorry for the essay, I didn’t realize how long this was

  14. Hannah Elizabeth says

    Okay, this is TOO weird, Katie!! I have been to Ikea maybe 5 times in the last 10 *years*, and two of those times have been in the last two weeks!! Every time, I am assailed by the scrumptious smell of their cinnamon rolls, and I’ve nearly swooned every time. So I was more than a little surprised to see this post…I think it must be a grand Ikea scheme to make sure there are cinnamon rolls baking at all times in order to entice customers. 😛

    I have memories from my childhood of trudging through what seemed at the time an eternally huge store. My memories seemed so real, I was reluctant to give Ikea another try, until just recently. Totally IN LOVE!! My sister, brother and I all agree that we want to decorate much of our homes out of Ikea’s marketplace! 🙂

  15. Kerri says

    Have I ever been to Ikea? Are you kidding……I love the place! OMG one of my favourite places to go. Thankfully (money wise) my nearest Ikea store is an hour and a half away. But the catalogue and app are the next best thing.

  16. Chris says

    Hi Katie! The pancakes look delicious, I have to try them! Just a suggestion, I think it would be nice if you did posts once in awhile on what you ate in a day. I’m always curious about what healthy food bloggers eat and you seem to have a lot of creative ideas.

  17. Kenzie says

    I am eating these right now! They are soooo good! Thanks for the great recipe. I made my pancakes a bit bigger…more like the size of a regular pancake. It worked out perfectly. I am having 2 and then I have 3 more 2 pancake servings to reheat for breakfast this week! I usually heat them up in my toaster oven to prevent the sogginess that can happen in a microwave. Thanks again! I love your recipes!

  18. Kira - HealthAble Old Soul says

    A masterpiece of cinnamon rolls! I know what you mean by craving those cinnamon rolls anytime you walk past them!

  19. Laura says

    Made the pancakes! They were delicious. I was out of almond milk so I used water in the date puree (worked fine) and CHAI concentrate for the liquid in the pancakes (the Oregon Chai lightly sweet one) which was a great idea. I also made bigger pancakes and swirled the filling much more sloppily than you did. 🙂

  20. Marci Samuels says

    These are crazy good. I used to make whole-wheat cinnamon rolls often, before I was diagnosed with a gluten sensitivity. Now I have these swirly sweet stacks to satisfy me and my family. I made these with a mix of almond and millet flours, and that cinnamon/date swirl sent us over the moon. Thanks, Miss miracle worker 🙂

  21. Emily J. says

    These are delicious, Katie! The pancakes stuck to my skillet so I poured the batter into a 13 x 9″ pan (I doubled your recipe) and baked on 325 for 15-20 minutes. Everyone loved them!

  22. Makiah Eveland says

    Hi Katie! I just wanted to tell you that i am TRULY inspired by your blog. I make your recipes all the time, especially the GF Cinnamon & Sugar waffles & your Healthy Pop-Tart babies!

    I am new to the blog world, and I am really trying to make my blog as interesting as possible; i totally look to you for inspiration!

    I am a Type 1 Diabetic & a vegan & i really want to share my stories to the world, and i wanted to thank you so much for being the inspiration that you are.
    Please keep up the good work!

    My blog is thenondiabetic.blogspot.com if you are interested at all in reading! Don’t ever feel that you have to, i just wanted to thank you for the inspiration!

    Much Gratitude,
    Kiah

  23. Heather says

    Thanks SO much for this recipe! I received a box mix for GF pancakes and I knew from experience that the mixes can lack a bit in the flavor department, so this was a perfect opportunity to try out your filling! To get it to blend smoothly in our 7 cup food processor, I used 2 c. dates, 4 tsp. cinnamon, and 3/4 cup almond milk. I piped it onto the pancake batter as soon as I spooned it onto the pan and it was DELICIOUS! I found it interesting that they tasted great warm, like a nice sweet cinnamon-y pancake (we didn’t add frosting/syrup at all because they were sweet enough alone), but the ones that cooled completely to room temperature tasted SO MUCH more like an actual cinnamon roll that next time I make these I will wait for them to cool just to get that familiar flavor! I have looked at a lot of GF vegan cinnamon roll recipes but I am always intimidated because getting the texture of the bread right seems tricky and I don’t want to “waste” expensive ingredients with a “flop,” but this recipe may have cured my need to bother trying a cinnamon roll recipe at all!

  24. Chris J says

    I am generally not a fan of ‘healthy’ desserts as I always figured– why bother? My view of desserts has always been to think of them as special, so essentially, unless you’re a diabetic or have a specific health condition that precludes such extravagances, go ahead and enjoy your sugar-laden, dairy and cream-filled treat.

    Of course, nowadays, there are a lot of people who grew up without any social recourse or outlet to eat healthily and were sorta locked into the ‘standard American diet’ (SAD) and reacted, as many did, by becoming strict organic-only, or wheat-free, or sugar-free, vegetarian, vegan, raw foodists, paleo eaters, octo-lacto vegetarians, fruitarians, and even to some more extreme directions.

    Me? I’m just 60 and have worked in natural foods on and off for most of my adult life, pursued vegetarianism accidentally for months, or watched my calories to lose weight, and even ultimately avoided some foods to simply be more healthy and avoid diabetes or other degenerative diseases.

    I long for a day when our food distribution system is more cleaned up, where animals are eaten and slaughtered with universal lack of cruelty, where the costs of artisanal, locally produced foods are priced such that more than DINKS (double-income no kids) and the one percent can afford them, and where vegans won’t feel that they have to announce their preferences and religion whenever they sit down to eat. A world where people can eat what they want with sensibility and social awareness of their choices–and to not feel guilty about it.

    Until then, I welcome your blog, recognizing that we are a culture hobbled by extremism and where every bite of food swallowed seems to be a political act. I kinda like your blog, Katie–though I wish the need for people to feel they can’t indulge in occasional calorie bomb desserts weren’t so extant. So blog on, my dear, and I’ll come by…occasionally…for the ride.

    I am occasionally considered pre-diabetic so I am very cognizant of my food choices every day, and yet–each week I still continue to make cream and butter and egg and sugar laden desserts. How do I manage this?

    I eat just a little bit, and give the rest of my desserts away, and I continue to be reasonably healthy. I made vegan chocolate truffles last week and they were even a big hit with all who ate them, with nary a comment of ‘good for what it is’ leaking into the conversations.

    Keep on bloggin’n

  25. Vicki says

    You rock!! This was a hit with my family and has beat every other GF and egg-free pancake recipe we have tried (and I have tried quite a few).

  26. Hanna says

    Well I’m Swedish so I’ve been to IKEA, but not that many times because I really don’t like the mass produced stuff :). But many Swedes are of course crazy about IKEA, and it’s nice going to IKEA when you’re getting your first apartment.

  27. Erika says

    wow!! These were so much easier than making cinn buns but just as good!!! They will be a part of the regular breakfast rotation for sure!!

  28. Rai says

    Hey Katie, I was wondering If I could substitute the dates in the swirl recipe to anything else? I’m allergic, but these pancakes look fantastic!! If I can’t substitute, do they taste the same without the swirl?!

  29. Claire says

    I was about to make these, but I didn’t have as many dates as I had hoped, so I just halved the whole thing. Made about 7 big pancakes. My mom and sister, who are definitely not used to healthy desserts, loved them! Thanks Katie!

  30. Marilyn says

    Why do some of your recipes have a print tab and other not?
    I have been trying some of them, and I like the convenience of being able to print with 1 click. I otherwise have to take a screen shot to print and it isn’t as neat looking in my recipe binder.

  31. Maerwhyn says

    I had a bit of a struggle making these, but they were totally worth the mess. 🙂 My poor little Handy Chopper was just barely up to the task of pureeing the dates and it never did get completely smooth, but the engine was overheating so I stopped. Because it was still pretty thick and clumpy it burst the plastic bag I was using to pipe it on the pancakes, so I just had to do dollops instead of swirls. They looked ugly, but they tasted sooooo good! The original amount of cinnamon paste filled a double batch of pancakes for me.

    As for Ikea, I’ve been there a few times, and my favorite things are the shortcuts and the cinnamon rolls.

  32. Christine says

    I have to say, I tried to make these and thought they were a huge disaster bc my piping bag broke and I couldn’t get anything really to work, so I just used the date/cinnamon mixture to spread on top of the pancakes with a little syrup AND IT WAS SO DELICIOUS!!!! I want to put this stuff on everything. I don’t think I’ll ever try to swirl it in with the pancakes again:). Thank you for this recipe!!!!!

  33. RunJabes13 says

    I can honestly say I love all your recipes and this is my favorite. I am a marathon runner and I think I pick a different pancake recipe of yours to enjoy after every long run but this is my favorite. Keep doing what you are doing! Jealous of your life =D

    • Rachel says

      These were so good and did not require frosting/syrup! I used the rest of the date mixture in a smoothie.

      I put my metal mixing bowl in the oven to heat everything so the oil could melt and mix. It worked well. The inside tasted a little gooey underdone, but I may have been a bit short on the baking powder. Still delicious!

  34. thunderbuns says

    Once again proving that pancakes ARE just as good as dessert! Awesome recipe. Thanks for sharing.

  35. Lola says

    I made these for breakfast this morning for my family of 5. Oh my they are SO delicious! Everyone loved them.

    Because of your comment on the extra cinnamon stuff, I doubled the rest of the recipe (as I anticipated not enough to feed us all). It worked out perfect! By increasing it to 2 cups of flour and doubling the ingredients of the pancakes, I had a perfect amount of the cinnamon goop to pipe onto them.

    I thought I’d share in case you wanted to change the quantities so the two parts of this recipe matched up. 🙂 All five of us easily googled up this doubled version.

    Delicious!
    Thanks!!

  36. Elyse says

    This cinnamon date swirl is so yummy! 🙂 The pancakes were a little bit gummy, though, so next time I will put the filling in my regular pancakes (plus a bit of cinnamon). This recipe is definitely a keeper!

  37. Louise says

    I made these this morning. Very good and we will have them again. I think my batter and the filling was too thick so I will experiment the next time making it thinner. Katie tell me are these about 3 inches in diameter? I tried to make smaller but could not get as many swirls of filling and I want to get as many servings as you suggest. Thanks for begin AWESOME!

  38. JenZ says

    I’ve made a lot of your recipes but this one is one of my favorite! I used whole wheat pastry flour and they were absolutely amazing! I also soaked my dates in boiling water for about five minutes before mixing them up and that seemed to work well to soft them. Thank you for such a great recipe!

  39. Christian Olsen says

    I just made these for an afternoon snack, and they were amazing!!! I can’t stop eating them!!! You don’t taste the dates or anything, just sweet cinnamon-ny goodness! They are sweet enough that you don’t even need any frosting!

  40. june porter says

    I tried a pancake recipe based on what you have here using a gluten free flour and chocolate chips for my grand daughter I loved it. she has yet to try it but they are in the freezer this is the best sight for good recipes my next purchase will be a food processor since I love to cook. thank god for you and your recipes Katie you inspired me.

  41. Rebecca says

    My daughter is extremely picky about pancakes and she absolutely loved this one! She is also a HUGE fan of your pillow cookies except without the filling ?. Thank you!

    I did adjust this recipe slightly after making a few by adding a little bit of brown sugar 1/8c to the batter just to experiment. She also asked for a few pancakes to have chocolate chips so I added those to a few pancakes only after the batter was in the pan. Original or slightly modified this is a great recipe. She even thought it was from a mix ha! Kids…

    • Rebecca says

      I should also add that I didn’t use the swirl frosting yet. That is next but the base recipe is pure deliciousness!

  42. Lea says

    Hi Katie..my butter was too thick so I added more milk to it but they were gummy. What should I do diferent next time? Thanks

  43. Melinda Muyargas says

    These were delicious! I used packaged chopped dates, which my food processor didn’t really use blend well. But even though the filling was a bit clumpy, they still turned about amazing! The recipe made 6 medium pancakes.

  44. Jessica says

    Absolutely delicious! I don’t have a real non-stick pan, so the filling stuck badly, but they turned out just as good with the cinnamon filling piped on afterwards, just not quite as pretty.

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