Last holiday season, my son was enamored by the nonstop commercials from IHOP advertising the limited edition Grinch pancakes! Of course, naturally, we surprised him with a breakfast trip to IHOP so he could get his Grinch fix. As soon as I tasted the pancakes, I knew I could recreate these at home year round if I needed to! The following weekend, I got to testing. Needless to say, my son was delighted to enjoy Grinch pancakes all December long thanks to a little bit of recipe testing on my part. I used the base of my buttermilk pancake recipe and transformed them into Grinch pancakes! 

When I first tasted the pancakes while dining at IHOP, they seemed to have a canned “cream cheese” glaze taste to them as well as green-colored Cool Whip that was just placed in a piping bag. So, you can go the easy route and use the canned frosting and just add some green dye to the Cool Whip. Or you can go the extra step and make fresh, homemade cream cheese frosting and homemade green whipped cream. Once the whipped cream is done, you’ll then place it into a piping bag to give that professional polished look. Heart-shaped sprinkles can be ordered on the Internet. I’m also starting to see a wide variety of sprinkles at your local arts-and-crafts store, so you can check there, too. Or use what you have on hand. I had some leftover Valentine’s Day sprinkles, so I just picked the hearts out of those and used the remaining sprinkles I had. 

You might be wondering if I like to recreate restaurant recipes often? It all depends on the dish, and with something so “limited edition,” this was high on my list. 

If you are looking for a fun holiday tradition, host a Grinch-themed breakfast for your kids (or family and friends) this holiday season. I hope everyone enjoys the holiday season and may add a new tradition to your month of festivities!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 3

For the pancakes: 

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp butter, melted and slightly cooled

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
• 2-3 tablespoons water

For the green whipped cream:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon Adams extract green food coloring

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then add in the buttermilk, milk, eggs, and melted butter. Mix for 30 seconds until all ingredients are blended.
2. Spray cooking spray on a griddle or frying pan. Heat at medium heat. Using a small ladle or ice cream scoop (using about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake or less if you want silver dollar pancakes), pour the batter onto the griddle.
3. Let cook until you begin to start bubbles form on the top of the batter (about 1-2 minutes). Then flip and cook an additional 30 seconds to one minute. Remove from griddle and repeat until all the batter is used.
4. For the cream cheese frosting: Mix together using a hand mixer or stand mixer the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and water (start with 2 tablespoons and add additional water as needed to thin frosting). Mix until smooth and set to the side.
5. For the green whipped cream: Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, mix the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and green food coloring until stiff peaks form (about 3-5 minutes on medium high speed). Place in a piping bag fitted with a star (no. 1) tip. 
6. To assemble the pancakes, stack pancakes, then drizzle on the cream cheese frosting. Top pancake with green whipped cream. Add heart-shaped sprinkles on top. Repeat until all the pancakes are done and enjoy.