There are tons of ways to serve traditional pancakes from healthy options like fresh berries to something a little bit naughty like chocolate or toffee sauce. But what about the pancakes themselves? Did you know there are different recipes for the actual pancake? Well in this case we are going for creamy and delicious with cream cheese pancakes – with fresh berries to nod to healthy!

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What exactly is cream cheese?

Cream cheese is one of those things I bet you have in the fridge and don’t really think about much. It is a favourite for breakfasts on toast or to pop into a tomato sauce to make it creamier. But what is cream cheese anyway?

Cream cheese is defined as having more than 33% fat less than 55% moisture and is made from cream or sometimes milk and cream. A special (good) bacteria is added to the cream to turn it into cream cheese.

There are plenty of well-known brands of cream cheese. Top of the list is Philadelphia – now available in a huge range of flavours. Here in the UK we have Dairylea and also some makers of cheeses are making their own – Seriously Strong Cheddar is one example we enjoy.

Making the best pancakes

While ingredients are always important, the cooking process is also very key, especially with something like pancakes. Use the wrong pan and the pancake batter could go soggy or stuck and be impossible to remove and eat.

There are a few options for cooking pancakes. One example is to use a cast iron two-sided reversible griddle or grill. This kind of pan looks like a grill but works on the stovetop just like other pans. There are two sides, one with the griddle lines and the other that is flat.

Another classic way to cook regular pancakes is with a crepe pan. This is a thin type of frying pan that often has a non-stick coating and a handle. It has shallow edges for easy of removing the pancakes once cooked but high enough to stop the mixture rushing off across the stove.

The final options would be either a cast iron skillet or a frying pan. Both have the ability to cook without sticking and higher sides if you decide you want to make deeper pancakes.

What you need to make Cream Cheese Pancakes

8 oz. cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes
6 large eggs
½ t. ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 c. fresh blueberries
1 c. fresh strawberries, sliced
2 T. powdered monk fruit (optional)
Real maple syrup, to serve

How to make the recipe

Grab a high powered blender and add the cream cheese, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla – blend until smooth.

Heat the pan or griddle over medium heat and when hot, add ½ tbsp olive oil and spread it around.

Pour three small pancakes into the pan, around 2-3 tbsp tablespoons of batter and leave enough room to keep them apart. Cook until the edges start to brown a little and are set, usually 3-4 minutes.

Gently flip each pancake and cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown on the bottom.

Pop onto a plate that you can keep warm and repeat until you have the number of pancakes you want, or the mixture has run out.

Serve with your favourite toppings such as fresh berries, a little monk fruit and maple syrup.

Recipe tips

With this style of pancake, it is definitely a good idea to keep the mixture quite thin. This makes it easy to flip them over and cook both sides properly. The cream cheese can make them a little stickier than other mixtures, so this helps to combat that.

If you want to sweeten the pancake mix but don’t want to use sugar, you can try something like powdered monk fruit. This is an all-natural sugar free sweetener that is perfect for things like glazes, frostings and to add to things like these pancakes. Use in a one to one ratio wherever you see sugar.

Yield: 4