Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Wow.... this breakfast was YUMMY! It is a very sweet treat for breakfast, so it won't be something you would make all the time, but definitely fun for a special occasion, maybe a birthday or Christmas?

Here is the full recipe....

{{Cinnamon Roll Pancakes}}

(printer friendly version)

PANCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten

CINNAMON FILLING:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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 (a few small lumps are fine).

2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside. You don't want this to remain super-liquidy. It's best if it becomes a consistency similar to toothpaste (so let it set out for a bit or pop it in the fridge, but watch it so it doesn't get too stiff).

3. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl- heat butter and cream cheese until melted. Whisk together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract; set aside.

4. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. Snip the corner of your baggie of filling and squeeze a spiral of the filling onto the top of the pancake. 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 warmed glaze onto the top of each pancake.

Tips:

*Keep the heat low or your pancakes might cook up too quickly. Don't flip them until you see those bubbles starting to pop on top. Flip them with a wide spatula so you can grasp the whole thing without batter and filling dripping all over the place!

*It's best if you pour the batter onto your skillet, wait a minute or so and then swirl the cinnamon onto the batter. That'll give it a chance to set a little before you add the swirl.

*If your baggie of filling begins to get too thick, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up again. On that same note, it shouldn't be too runny. The consistency of soft toothpaste is perfect. If it's melty and runny, it will tend to run all over your pancakes. Once you micro it, let it sit on the counter at room temp for a while until it thickens slightly.

I doubled the recipe of pancake batter, but only made a single recipe of the cinnamon filling and the cream cheese syrup. The recipe suggest making HUGE pancakes that use 3/4 cups of batter. I found it much easier to make smaller pancakes and stacking up a few.

Here are the pancakes as the batter is bubbling up and I just added the cinnamon sugar filling in the swirly pattern.
The edges of the pancake will start to look dry and the bubbles stop forming. These are the signs to know when it is time to flip your pancake. You typically only flip your pancake one time. Use a spatula big enough to fit the entire pancake because it will flip easier and land nicely back on the griddle.

I cooked the pancakes on my griddle instead of a skillet. The surface is larger so I can make more than one pancake at a time, which is essential with more than one kid. Everyone wants to be first to get a pancake. The griddle recommends 400 degrees for pancakes, but I found that they cooked more evenly around 350 degrees. They don't cook as quickly, but when you flip them, the sugary filling won't burn as quickly either. See on that front pancake in the picture below... you can see the cinnamon filling spilling out a bit and cooking up a crusty layer on top of the pancake.

It takes about 1 or 2 minutes for the pancakes to cook through. Flip it off and place it on the place with the cinnamony swirl-ness on top. It is just pretty!
Then add another pancake on top of the one, and drizzle the cream cheese glaze on top. I didn't think much was required on top. It was so sweet and tasted like a cinnamon roll!

Mmmmmmm.....Yummy! Enjoy these yummy pancakes. It takes a little bit of time to prepare all three part of the pancakes, but once the prep work is done, it was easy to make the pancakes.

(recipe originally found on recipegirl.com)