Carrto Cake Pancakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Syrup

One might say this meal pushed the boundaries between dinner and dessert. I love pancakes. The kids love pancakes, and we love making new kinds. Tonight we made carrot cake pancakes with a cream cheese frosting syrup. Oh my goodness. These were divine. My oldest daughter took one bite, and loudly exclaimed, "These are my new favorite. It's like a birthday present one day late! Thanks Mom!" Is there any higher praise than that? The crunch from the nuts, the slight sweetness from the carrots, the warmth from the spices, and the richness from the syrup all came together to create one fantastic pancake. Although the name makes them sound like a decadent treat, they are loaded with carrots, and carrots are healthy, right?

Remember that I usually use pancake mix and then mix in the extras. The amount of spices I used is based on a batch of 12 pancakes, so adjust accordingly. We had leftovers, which have already been claimed for someone's breakfast!



Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Syrup
adapted from Joy the Baker

Pancake mix of your choice
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups of FINELY grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
Prepare pancake batter according to package. Add spices, vanilla, carrots, and nuts. Cook a few minutes on each side. Serve with cream cheese frosting syrup.

Cream Cheese Frosting Syrup

4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
dash of cinnamon
3 to 4 TBSP milk

Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth. Add milk until you get the desired consistency. I used just over 3 TBSP of milk to make a nice pourable syrup.