Serves 2
with Cream Cheese Filling & Ginger Syrup | 2 servings
Over here, we think brunch is a food group—especially around the holidays. Today’s fix: Winter-morning ready brown sugar and warming-spiced pancakes stuffed with a sweet cream cheese filling. To make these stacks extra festive, you’ll drizzle them with ginger maple syrup. Feel free to break out the special plates or just enjoy this meal in your coziest PJs.
Wash and dry produce. Peel and mince or grate ginger until you have 3 tsp. Combine maple syrup, ½ cup water, 2 TBSP sugar, 2 tsp ginger, and ¼ tsp cinnamon in a small pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and sugar has dissolved, 8-10 minutes. Turn off heat, then stir in 3 TBSP butter until melted. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine cream cheese and 2 TBSP sugar. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge until ready to use in Step 5.
Place 1½ TBSP butter and remaining ginger in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until butter melts, 45 seconds. Whisk in ¾ cup milk; stir until mixture is cool to the touch. Whisk in 1 egg* (save remaining egg for another use), 1 TBSP sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, and a pinch of salt until combined. Gradually whisk in tempura batter mix until just combined and batter is mostly smooth (lumps are ok!). Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in brown sugar.
Remove cream cheese mixture from fridge. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium heat. (TIP: Use butter instead of oil for richer-flavored pancakes.) Add ¼-cup scoops of batter to pan; cook until bubbles form on tops of pancakes, 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden, 30-60 seconds more. TIP: Lower heat if pancakes begin to brown too quickly. Transfer to a plate. Repeat process with remaining batter until you have 6 pancakes, adding more oil (or butter) between batches if necessary.
Spread a thin layer of cream cheese mixture on 4 pancakes. Stack two coated pancakes, then top with a plain pancake; repeat with remaining pancakes.
Divide pancake stacks between plates. Drizzle with as much ginger syrup as you like and serve.
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