Once in a blue moon, you want dessert for breakfast. On those blue moons, make THESE. FNM does a “copy-cat” recipe in each issue, and this is a copy-cat of IHOP’s New York Cheesecake Pancakes. These are great for novelty purposes, or if you want to start a crazy family tradition, like have these on Christmas morning or birthdays or something (we do waffles topped with vanilla ice cream, strawberries and whipped cream at our house Christmas morning, so not too far off). Just to be clear, with the exception of the fresh strawberries, these will provide your family with (essentially) no nutrients, so be sure to offset it with a vegetable-rich, low calorie dinner. And just eat a couple pancakes instead of an entire stack. Still, there is a time and place for dessert for breakfast once or twice a year, so do it right and enjoy these.
Tip (unsponsored): We use a frozen Sarah Lee cheesecake from Walmart in these pancakes.
Have your kids help you make and top the pancakes with the strawberry sauce. Teach about the health benefits of strawberries:
- Strawberries are bright red because they contain anthocyanidin, which helps to protect your heart from disease.
- Strawberries also provide you with manganese, which is great for kids whose bones are growing.
- Strawberries give you vitamin K for proper blood clotting, and you can only get it through your diet.
From: Almost-Famous Cheesecake Pancakes
- 1½ cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons seedless strawberry jam
- 11/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 11/4 cups buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups chopped frozen cheesecake
- Cooking spray
- Butter, confectioners' sugar or whipped cream, for topping (optional)
- Mix the strawberries, jam and 2 tablespoons warm water in a bowl; set aside. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
- Pulse the flour, buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheesecake pieces, keeping them whole.
- Coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Working in batches, pour about ¼ cup batter into the skillet for each pancake. Cook until bubbly on top, about 4 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is golden brown, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the finished pancakes to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Serve the pancakes topped with the strawberry sauce; top with butter, confectioners' sugar or whipped cream, if desired.
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