Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

These are the first pancakes that I have eaten in a very long time that didn't have chocolate chips and peanut butter. Because....streusel. Yummy. Wonderful. STREUSEL. So it's like a merger between pancakes and coffee cake: breakfast power couple. What I'm saying is...the pancakes are Shiloh Jolie-Pitt.*

*just kidding. They're pancakes. DELICIOUS pancakes.

I don't know that I've ever before bitten into a pancake and just marveled at how buttery it tasted. And then the delicious crunch and flavor of brown sugar and cinnamon....mmm it's enough to make your mouth water.

Look, ok, let's just say....if I were to open a restaurant, or host a brunch...

...these would certainly be made! Even Michael liked them, and pancakes are like his 3rd favorite of the sweet breakfast carbs (for him the order goes french toast, waffles, then pancakes. For me it goes waffles, pancakes, then french toast. Clearly no one can ever be satisfied).

There's only 1 downside...

The sheer QUANTITY of pancakes this recipe makes. If you have the skills to make large ones (which I do not) it'll yield 6, if you're like me and making medium ones, you're looking at 12-14 pancakes. That's a lot for 2 people to eat. It makes me long for the days when I'll have a whole family to feed. Or ya know...this fall when my brother will probably be living with us for a bit. Pretty sure that kid will eat everything in his path. This recipe would definitely be no problem for him to help demolish. In the meantime, freezing a few helps keep it manageable. 

Now, to serve these: I actually like them as is, or just with a little butter. The streusel adds plenty of sweetness and butteriness, in my opinion. Michael had syrup too, though, so it's really up to you! If you wanna be fancy with a little mound of butter like in these pictures, use a melon baller to scoop out some softened whipped butter.

And then you, too, can feel like you're fancy whilst in your pj's and watching Charmed on Netflix.

Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

From Two Peas and Their Pod

Makes 6 very large or 12-14 medium pancakes.

Ingredients:
Streusel-

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Pancakes-

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups buttermilk (or buttermilk substitute)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preparation:

• Make the streusel: in a medium bowl mix together all the streusel ingredients and, using your hands or a fork, mix together and cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. 
• In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
• In a small bowl whisk the buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. (Don't overmix, the batter will be lumpy.)
• Heat a griddle or large pan over medium-low heat and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Drop 1/2-1 cup batter onto the heated skillet (1/2 cup for medium pancakes, 1 cup for very large). Sprinkle 1-2 tbsp. of the streusel mixture over the top of the batter round (1 tbsp. for medium pancakes, 2 tbsp. for large). Cook for a couple minutes, until bubbles form in the center and it's reached a golden brown on the underside, carefully flip. Sprinkle generously with more streusel and cook for another couple minutes, until golden brown on both sides (if you need to flip the pancake over again, that's ok. The streusel will just get a little matted down.) Repeat until all the batter is gone.
• Serve warm with butter and syrup. (If having leftovers, reheat in a 250-300 degree oven until heated through).

PANCAKE-Y GOODNESS!