Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

There are a few recipes that when I see I absolutely have to make. This doesn't usually happen very often. I usually just bookmark or pin the recipe and move on to something else that grabs my attention. But the second I saw the words "Cinnamon Roll Pancakes," I was hooked. After staring at the picture, rereading the recipe about 5 times, and wiping the drool off my face, I realized I had all of the ingredients and made them last Sunday morning. Evan is not a big pancake fan. He's actually not a big fan of breakfast at all; just give him a big bowl of soggy cereal and he's a happy boy.  HOWEVER - after he ate these yummy pancakes, he couldn't deny how amazingly delicious they were! 

These sinful pancakes start with a classic pancake recipe and swirl in a cinnamon, brown sugar, butter mixture. When you flip the pancake, it starts to caramelize and get crispy. Drizzle some warm maple cream cheese glaze and you are in some serious trouble. This is almost too good for it to be considered breakfast. I think the reason I loved them so much is because I felt like I was eating dessert for breakfast! :)

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes 

Recipe adapted from Recipe Girl

Ingredients:

PANCAKES: (makes about 4/5 pancakes)

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1 large egg, lightly beaten

CINNAMON FILLING: *makes enough for more than 4 pancakes

1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed


1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

MAPLE CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T. good maple syrup
milk

Directions:

1. Prepare pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, oil and egg, just until batter is moistened.

2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour filling into a small zip lock bag with the tip cut off. Set aside and let it thicken a bit.

3. Mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and maple syrup in a bowl until smooth, dripping in small amounts of milk until mixture is a drizzling consistency. 

4. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. When pancake has started to cook a little, swirl in the cinnamon filling. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

5. When ready to serve, spoon glaze onto the top of each pancake.