Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes - made August 10, 2012 from High Heels & Grills blog

When I saw the picture of these pancakes from High Heels & Grills' blog, they looked so good I had to make them, especially since I had milk to use up in a hurry.  It's not hard to make, although you do have to be prepared for a couple of things.  First, when you make the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture and put it in a ziploc bag to squeeze into the spiral, careful with the bag.  Mine busted open as I was swirling the mixture onto the first pancake so I had to transfer the mixture into another bag and try again.  My swirling skills leave something to be desired but it was the best I could do after the busted bag kerfluffle.

Second, I didn't consider the science of when you flip the pancake over and that brown sugar-cinnamon-butter mixture gets direct exposure to high heat, it melts, caramelizes and burns easily.  Far more easily than the rest of the pancake that you're trying to fry long enough so that it cooks before the brown sugar swirl burns. Long way of saying: don't cook over high heat when you flip over.

I thought the pancakes were pretty good but the cinnamon swirl cooked faster than the pancake so that part was almost like sticky toffee when I ate it.  I think it might've been better to add a bit of batter over the swirl to sandwich it in.  Taste-wise it was still good although mine didn't look anywhere as pretty as High Heels & Grills' picture (click on the recipe title to go to their blog and see a much more mouth-watering pic).  Surprisingly, I enjoyed the cream cheese glaze the most.  Usually I care more about the pancake rather than the topping but the glaze went very well with this pancake and was superior to using syrup.

Cinnamon Filling:

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
6 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Glaze:

4Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
milk (optional)

Pancakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons. baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

For the cinnamon filling:

1. In a medium bowl, stir together butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.  
2. Pour into a zip lock bag and set in the freezer until further use.

For the glaze:  

1. In a small bowl, combine butter and cream cheese, stirring until smooth and well combined.  
2. Stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla - incorporate well.  You can add a little milk if you want a more runny consistency.  Set aside.

For the pancakes:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 
2. Whisk the milk, eggs, and oil in to dry ingredients until well combined. 
3. Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. 
4. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup and add batter to the skillet, making about 4-inch pancakes.  
5. Retrieve cinnamon filling and massage so as to incorporate any butter that may have separated. 
6. Snip the corner of your baggie and squeeze filling into the open corner. 
7. When your pancakes begin to form bubbles, add the filling in a swirling manner. 
8. Cook pancakes 2-3 minutes or until they begin to turn golden-brown and then flip. 
9. Cook 1-2 minutes until golden brown again. 
10. Flip pancakes onto a plate and serve with a drizzle of glaze.

Linked to Sweet Treats Thursday and Whatcha Whipped Up Wednesday