Recipe Of The Day: Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes

This is the type of recipe you wake a loved one up too, on a Sunday or Saturday morning, with some crisp Bacon, fresh fruit and a cup of whatever they like to sip on in the morning, even if it is a Mimosa. This recipe goes a long way as far as giving you energy to start off the day, or even better a full stomach to turn over and go back to sleep for a few more hours, leaving the dishes to someone else hands.

Enjoy your day either which way.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups strawberries, hulled and sliced

2 TBS seedless strawberry jam

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 ¼ cups buttermilk

1 large egg

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup granulated sugar (for a healthier lighter version, use Nectresse™ Sweetener)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Pinch of Kosher salt

2 cups chopped frozen cheesecake

Cooking spray

Butter, confectioners' sugar or whipped cream, for topping (optional)

Directions:

Mix the strawberries, jam and 2 tablespoons warm water in a bowl; set aside. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Pulse the flour, buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a blender until smooth.

Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheesecake pieces, keeping them whole.

Coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.

Working in batches, pour about 1/4 cup batter into the skillet for each pancake. Cook until bubbly on top, about 4 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is golden brown, about 2 more minutes.

Transfer the finished pancakes to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Serve the pancakes topped with the strawberry sauce; top with butter, confectioners' sugar or whipped cream, if desired.