Get the best of donuts and pancakes together in one with Denny’s Blueberry Pancake Puppies with Cheesecake Dip! Learn how to make them at home with this easy copycat recipe. They taste like donut holes and are fluffy like pancake puffs. These tasty round pancake balls with blueberries and white chocolate chips are a hit with kids of all ages, especially with sweet cream cheese icing dipping sauce.
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Table of Contents
What Are Pancake Puppies?
Denny’s Pancake puppies are balls of pancake batter that are fried until crispy and some are rolled in powdered sugar. There are several flavors – plain, double chocolate, red velvet, strawberry, and then this one, the blueberry white chocolate pancake puppies.
Denny’s Blueberry Pancake Puppies with White Chocolate Chips
If you like fresh hot donuts, you will enjoy these pancake puppies. While you may feel completely guilty eating these, it won’t be too hard, these are crispy, sweet, and most likely the most unusual way you will ever prepare pancakes.
What Makes Denny’s Blueberry Pancake Puppies So Good?
What could be better than blueberry pancakes? How about deep fried pancake hush puppies? Although this recipe may not be the ideal breakfast for anyone who’s trying to eat healthier, there’s no denying Denny’s Blueberry Pancake Puppies are insanely delicious.
And if the crunchy exterior and soft interior loaded with real blueberries and white chocolate chips still isn’t decadent enough for you, there’s always the Cheesecake Dipping Sauce that will satisfy the most demanding sweet tooth.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
Blueberry and white chocolate chip pancake balls are real showstoppers and are sure to impress at your next brunch. So, why tell them just how easy they are to make? Serve these deep fried pancakes for breakfast, a snack, or dessert!
Blueberry Pancake Puppies Ingredients
For the fried pancake batter, you’ll need:
- Vegetable oil
- Blueberry pancake mix
- Water
- Powdered sugar
- White chocolate chips
Krusteaz is a good brand, but you can use any instant blueberry pancake mix you prefer. You can also make the pancake batter from scratch and add fresh or dried blueberries.
For the Cheesecake Dipping Sauce, you’ll need:
- Butter
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Deep Fried Pancakes With Cheesecake Dipping Sauce
To prepare the fried pancake batter:
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the pancake mix, water, powdered sugar, and white chocolate chips until you can’t see any dry ingredients. Do not overmix. Some lumps are okay.
- Cover the pancake batter and let it rest in the fridge.
- Place paper towels on a wire rack set on a rimmed baking tray.
- Add about two inches of vegetable oil to a heavy-bottomed pot or deep fryer and heat to 350°F over a medium flame. Use a clip-on deep-fry thermometer for the best results. You can also use a deep-fat fryer if you have one.
- Use a large cookie scoop to portion the pancake batter and carefully release the batter into the hot oil. Don’t crowd the pot. Keep an eye on the temperature to ensure it doesn’t drop too low.
- Fry the pancake dough ball until one side is golden brown, and then gently flip the pancake balls over using a long-handled slotted spoon or skimmer.
- Transfer the fully cooked pancake hush puppies to the paper towel-lined wire rack. Dab the top of them with a paper towel.
To prepare the Cheesecake Dipping Sauce:
- Remove the butter and cream cheese from the fridge and leave them on the counter for at least 15 minutes until they begin to soften.
- Put the softened butter and cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar in stages while the mixer continues to run.
- Add the salt and vanilla extract.
- Increase the speed of the mixer to medium and mix until fluffy. To thin out the dipping sauce, add a small amount of cream or milk while mixing until you reach the correct consistency.
What to Serve Them Deep Fried Pancake Balls
In addition to a side of warm cream cheese icing, you can try sprinkling powdered sugar over the top, serving the deep fried pancakes with fresh fruit, a scoop of vanilla yogurt, or a dollop of whipped cream.
How to Store Denny’s Blueberry Pancake Puppies
Cool the pancake batter hush puppets and transfer them to a paper towel-lined airtight container. Keep in the fridge for up to three days. Or freeze them in a single layer for up to a month.
What’s the Best Way to Reheat Them
The best way to reheat refrigerated pancake balls is in a 350-degree Fahrenheit preheated air fryer for about four minutes. If they are frozen, double the time.
You can also reheat Denny’s Blueberry Pancake Puppies in a 375-degree Fahrenheit preheated oven. Set the thawed puppies on a baking sheet, cover, and cook for about three minutes per side or five minutes per side for frozen.
More Denny’s Copycat Recipes
- Denny’s French Toast
- Moons Of My Hammy
- Plain Pancake Puppies
- Red Velvet Pancake Puppies
- Strawberry Pancake Puppies
Favorite Pancake Recipes
- Alton Brown Pancakes
- Birthday Pancakes
- Buttermilk Pancakes
- Chocolate Pancakes
- Cinnamon Pancakes
- Pancake Wake Up Wrap
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Red Velvet Pancakes
Check out more of my easy breakfast recipes and the best copycat restaurant favorites on CopyKat!
Denny’s Blueberry Pancake Puppies
Ingredients
Pancake Puppies
- 4 cups vegetable oil
- 2 cups Krusteaz blueberry pancake mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
Cheesecake Dipping Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter softened
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Pancake Puppies
- In a heavy-duty pot over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, combine the pancake mix, water, powdered sugar, and white chocolate chips. Mix until blended.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop balls of pancake batter and drop them into the hot oil.
- When the pancake balls turn brown on the bottom side, flip them over with a slotted spoon and cook until the other side has browned.
- Remove the cooked pancake puppies from the oil and drain them on paper towels.
Dipping Sauce
- Place the softened butter and cream cheese in a bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low speed until fully incorporated.
- Add the salt and vanilla. Increase the speed to medium and beat until it is light and fluffy.
- If you want a thinner dipping sauce, add a little cream or milk until it reaches your desired consistency.
Theresa Grace
So you can just buy frozen blueberries and folliw the recipe for waffles to make pancake balls?
Stephanie
I think this would work ok, but you need to make the pancake/waffle mix more dry, it’s too watery if you make it for pancakes.
Linda
I just had the white chocolate and fresh raspberry holiday pancakes at Denny’s and they are out of this world! Any chance for a copycat recipe?
Stephanie
I missed them last year, I will have to see if they bring it back.
Lisha Thompson Gibson
I just had the lemon poppyseed French toast at Denny’s! Please give that recipe. I dearly love these !!!
Mone't Rose
stephanie manley
My initial suggestion/question is was your grease hot enough? Was it at 350 degrees? If the grease isn’t hot enough it will soak into your food. It also sounds like it wasn’t hot enough because your puppies were still dougy.
Taytay????
I have a frier and could home made pancake mix work
Gmalone
do you have the recipe fpr the gingerbread pancake puppies? I LOVE THOSE.thank you.
Gmalone
do you have the recipe fpr the gingerbread pancake puppies? I LOVE THOSE.thank you.
Stephanie Manley
I didn’t know they had these, I haven’t been in a Denny’s in a few months. I will have to see what I can do.
Stephanie Manley
I didn’t know they had these, I haven’t been in a Denny’s in a few months. I will have to see what I can do.
Betty Jo
These are awesome!! Great idea for kids and after school snacks! Way to go Denny’s!
Keri
Man these were gooood lastnight and it had strawberries in them Very Good !!!
Wedwall
these are really good, i treid them at Denny’s however will definately make one to feel guilty as it is really oilly.
Ben
I did this with the wrong batter and it worked but the batter sort of flattened out. It does work though.
Anonymous
I think you need to drop the balls of dough immediately into the the hot oil.
Anonymous
I think you need to drop the balls of dough immediately into the the hot oil.
Deb
A waitress told us that they use the waffle batter as it is thicker (with less water), mixes well, and drops into the oil much easier. Worth a try anyway.
Bella
I am anxious to try it.
I tink is the kind hat my Mom used to make when I was a kid.
I have been looking for this for ever.
Next time that I go t Denny’s I will sure to try them.
Thanks
Ursula
jacob
This reminds me of an Oliebol.
Barbara Anne Carrell
What about the red part of the Red, White & Blueberry Pancake Puppies, what kind of strawberries can you add that will fry well? Is it strawberry jelly?
I haven’t tried these yet. My guess would be to use some chopped fresh or frozen strawberries for these. ~stephanie
Nichole
I’m a sucker for normal cornmeal hushpuppies, and now I can add the sweet pancake puppies to the mix. Yum! Thanks.
Anonymous
I just made the pancake puppies super simple and easy to make .. and they are very good , will be making them again ..thanks so much
Hans Lussenburg
These pancake-puppies as Denny calls them is a treat that Dutch and German people make every New Years Eve – perhaps this practice extends to all of Europe, for all I know. As kids we used to love New Years Eve no supper till after midnight and eating these donuts. After the fireworks at midnight the whole family sits down to eat yet more as they dig in to a potato salad called a ‘Salad of the Huisars’ that is build up like a cake on leaves of lettuce for the base covering the platter. The icing is Miracle Whip and the garnishings are smoked oysters & mussels, baby pickled onions, sweet & dill pickles, stuffed eggs and sliced eggs, tomato slices and more. The potato salad is prepared 1 to 3 days ahead, minus any Miracle Whip and includes diced egg, diced dill pickles and baby pickled onions, diced canned ham or spam, some pickle juice whatever catches your fancy. The potatoes are mashed and all is mixed together in a big bowl and left to blend flavors in the fridge or cold room for 1 to 3 days (max). On New Years Eve my Dad would add miracle whip and mayonnaise to the potato salad and then build a two or three layered potato salad cake with the icing as described before – of course pepper – salt & garlic to taste – with a dash or sprinkling of paprika after all the garnishings had been artfully arranged. Besides the donuts they also had apple fritter like donuts – perfectly peeled & cored apples sliced like pine-apple slices about 1 centimeter thick, dipped in batter and deep fried. The family would play games eat and eat and eat till the finale supper after midnight and role into bed around 3 or 4 AM. Needless to say the adults drink wine and liqueurs as well. Oh yes, the donut ‘pancake puppies’ also often/usually had raisins in the batter!!! I hope this tradition adds a new dimension for you and possibly your readers :o).
Best regards,
Hans Lussenburg in Nanaimo, The Harbor City on beautiful Vancouver Island, ‘The Ocean Playground of the North Pacific and an Artist’s and Chef’s Paradise’.
Beth Richards
This is what they reminded me of as well. Apple fritters. I was thing the same when I started looking for the recipe and found your blog?
nickw
i work at denny’s and youve got this recipe as close as possible. dennys uses their traditiotinal pancake batter (which is nothing special), then they stir in freezer dried bluberries and nestle white chocolate chips and then they fry little balls of the batter in oil and then roll in powdered sugar. i know krusties bluberry pancake mix has those same freezer dried bluberries in it so, this recipe would taste basically exactly the same as the real thing. Dana: heres a recipe for the Cinnamon Pancake Puppies: 2 cups krusties buttermilk pancake mix, 1 cup water (or milk), 4 cups vegetable oil. 1/2 cup sugar. 4 teaspoons cinnamon. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Set aside. Preheat oil to 350 (med-high)Use cookie scoup to drop pancake by spoonfuls into preheated oil. Fry puppies about 1-2 min or until golden. Rempove puppies from oil using sloted spoon & let sit on paper towel for about 30 sec. Roll puppies in Cinnamon Sugar mixture.
Glow
4 cups of vegetable oil?
Stephanie
Yes, you fry the pancake puppies in the oil.
shirl
i cannot get them to come out in a rounded ball, mine were flat but still good do you leave them in the cookie dropper and let them form in the grease before letting them go?
sweetheart
use cooking spray on the cookie dropper
sweetheart
use cooking spray on the cookie dropper
Mary Cunningham Mcpherson
make sure the grease is the right temp too
Radsmr1
What about the new red velvet ones how are they made???
Amy Harper Giffin Nortum
Hey nickw How do they make the tropical pancake puppies? I do not have a Dennys where I live and we just got back from our honeymoon in Florida where we ate these and thought they were delicious! I would love to be able to have these again. Thanks Amy
Dana Moline
Denny’s also has Cinammon Pancake Puppies. This flavor is my
favorite! They taste like a donut. Can you please come up with that recipe also.
jessica
use normal pancake mix, and no chocolate chips, then roll in cinnamon sugar mix!
Stephanie
Jessica, I think this would be the recipe for the regular ones, wouldn’t it?
Tiffany
What about the Strawberry Pancake Puppies?
stephaniemanley
I will have to give those a try. I didn’t know they had Strawberry ones.
Toni T
I have tried the Denny’s Pancake Puppies and they are to die for I have been trying to figure out on my own how they made them. I am sure glad that you have the recepie here. I hope it really works.
Sarah
Oh my gosh, I love the idea of a breakfast appetizer. For me, it’s usually a cookie.