Review: Denny's - Dulce de Leche Crunch Pancakes

Denny's Dulce de Leche Crunch Pancakes feature buttermilk pancakes with a crunchy cinnamon crumb topping cooked in, served with whipped cream and dulce de leche-inspired caramel sauce.

I got an order of two pancakes for $6.79.

I have to admit that I was drawn to the new item by the very strategically designed promotional picture that makes it seem like the pancakes are covered in a gloriously crisp, even layer of cinnamon crumb topping. Alas, as is often the case, reality fails to live up to the advertisement and my pancakes arrived with just some sporadic patches of crunch topping. The way that the crumb topping cooks down in the batter creates more of a cratered appearance in the pancake rather than a coating.

While I was disappointed by the amount of cinnamon topping in my pancakes, what little there was delivered in both flavor and crunch. The topping had a noticeable cinnamon flavor that never became overpowering and a delicate cookie-like crunch. It enhanced the fluffy texture of the pancakes by adding a subtle contrast that helped to balance out some of the saltiness of the buttermilk.

The dulce de leche-inspired caramel sauce was decadently thick but surprisingly not as sweet as expected. It had a strong flavor of condensed milk with some burnt caramel notes that was balanced with some light saltiness. Creamy and rich, I found that a little of the sauce went a long way but it was mildly sweet enough to slather all over the pancakes if that's your preference.

Taken as a whole, I enjoyed Denny's Dulce de Leche Crunch Pancakes quite a bit. I was expecting a sugar bomb of a dish (as has been my experience with Denny's flavored pancakes), but these pancakes were actually saltier and less sweet. Although the amount of crunch topping left something to be desired, the pancakes were overall an indulgent treat.

By Renee.

Nutritional Info - Denny's Dulce de Leche Crunch Pancakes
Calories - 1200 (Calories from Fat - 300)
Fat - 33g (Saturated Fat - 11g)
Sodium - 1950mg
Carbs - 205g (Sugar - 99g)
Protein - 22g