Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

This morning we made Cinnamon Roll Pancakes and peppermint hot chocolate for breakfast. I found the recipe on one of the food blogs I check out occasionally and they just looked so amazingly delicious. It took us a couple "practice pancakes" to get the cinnamon filling consistency right, but by the end our pancakes were close to looking as professional as the ones from the blog. More importantly though, was how they tasted....they were to die for!! OMG!! We both agreed that they were better than Cinnabon cinnamon rolls! Absolutely delicious!!!

Here is the recipe:

CINNAMON ROLL PANCAKES
www.RecipeGirl.com

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.

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.

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.

Yield: 4 cinnamon roll pancakes

A few helpful 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!
*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.