The Single Most Brilliant Thing You Can Do With A Can of Cinnamon Rolls (Besides Make Cinnamon Rolls)

When it comes to cooking, it's hard to think of a sound that sends people running to the kitchen quite like that of a popping tube of cinnamon rolls. It's not only a super-easy, reliably crowd-pleasing staple to keep on hand, but refrigerated cinnamon roll dough is also surprisingly versatile. From waffles and monkey bread to breakfast casseroles and a shockingly sophisticated fall dessert, it can be used for so much more than cinnamon rolls. But I think my favorite hack for the dough may be the most brilliant yet. Why? Because you don't even need to turn your oven on to make these one-ingredient cinnamon roll pancakes.

How to Make 1-Ingredient Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Cinnamon roll pancakes have been popping up on restaurant brunch menus for a few years now. To recreate them at home, you'd think you need to make batter, filling, and then tediously swirl each individual pancake as it cooks (which you totally can if that's your jam!). But the way I make them takes more of an Ina Garten-esque approach—as in "store-bought is fine."

All you need in a can of your favorite cinnamon roll dough. Okay, and some butter or cooking spray to grease your pan or griddle (butter never made anything taste worse, did it?). There are typically two types of cinnamon rolls: one with a crunchy cinnamon topping on top of a piece of dough and another more akin to homemade cinnamon rolls where the dough is physically rolled around a cinnamon filling. This technique works with both.

Pop open the tube and separate the cinnamon rolls. Next, you want to flatten the cinnamon rolls to about 1/4-inch thick. You have two options here to do so. I like to roll them with a rolling pin (or bottle of wine) between two pieces of wax or parchment paper, however, you can also use a burger press if you have one left over from your summer smash burger tacos. Think of these pancakes like the smash burger of cinnamon rolls.

Heat a nonstick pan, skillet, or griddle over medium heat, then add about a tablespoon of butter to generously grease your pan. Once the pan is warm, add a few rolled-out or flattened cinnamon rolls at a time and cook them until they're puffed up a bit and nicely browned—about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes on the second side, or until cooked through. That's it. I know.

From there you can serve them up with a drizzle of the provided icing, although I prefer the more traditional maple syrup, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and maybe some sliced apples or bananas. Talk about the easiest, most decadent breakfast ever. This dish is the perfect excuse to break out your flat-top griddle, pop that tube, and wait for your family to run to the kitchen to see what's cooking.