Amanda Skiba: A lot of excitement for some sweet goodness

My daughter and my boyfriend’s two boys love cinnamon rolls and pancakes. Usually, I save cinnamon rolls for special occasions since they involved making dough, letting it rise and then getting up early the next morning to get them ready. Homemade pancakes are a weekend staple in our house, and a favorite among our kids. When I saw a recipe online for cinnamon roll pancakes I had to try them. First, I used my own pancake recipe, but you can make your favorite homemade recipe, or use a box mix. Then, I use the frosting I use for my cinnamon rolls. I also made a “filling” out of melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.To be honest, the first time I made these was on a whim on a weekday morning before school/work. Yes, sometimes I’m that crazy, but they looked easy enough, and they were, just a bit of a mess for a weekday morning. Next time if want to make these pancakes during the week, I will make the frosting and filling ahead of time. You can make the frosting and keep it covered in the fridge. The filling you can make and keep in a plastic bag at room temperature. Then, in the morning all you have to do is mix the pancakes and throw it together.The kids were really excited to see a cinnamon roll pancake with frosting and all. One of them even said “hey look, they are like pancakes on the bottom.”Basic Pancake Recipe11⁄2 cups flour1 tablespoon sugar (my regular recipe has 3 tablespoons but we are adding so much sugar already)11⁄2 teaspoon baking powder1⁄4 teaspoon salt2 large eggs11⁄2 cups milk2 teaspoons vanilla3 tablespoons melted butterMix first 4 ingredients. Then mix milk, eggs, and vanilla together. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and mix about 10 strokes. Then add butter and mix briefly just to combine and break up large lumps. The batter will be lumpy, that is OK, but over mixing the pancake batter will result in flat tough pancakes, so keep the mixing to a minimum.FillingAllow the pancake batter to sit while you make the filling and the frosting (this is also good for the batter).1 stick of melted butter3⁄4 cup brown sugar1 tablespoon cinnamonMix all ingredients in a bowl.Now for these next steps I have more instructive photos on my blog if you like visuals. Put the filling in a bottle. The bottle is my preference, because it gives me more control. If you use a plastic bag, and off the tip of the corner of the bag.Then heat up a pan or a pancake griddle ... I use a 1⁄2 cup measuring cup to pour the batter onto my griddle. I allow the batter to set just a little, then add the filling in a spiral starting from the middle of the batter to the outside.Careful not to wait too long to add the filing and not get too close to the edge then you will have a spill of the filling. Oh and before I forget, wipe your griddle down with a wet towel between each batch, it gets messy and sticky.FrostingNow for the frosting. I made the frosting before I started cooking the pancakes so it was ready when the pancakes were still warm, just like warm cinnamon rolls right out of the oven with melted frosting.4 ounces softened cream cheese1 teaspoon vanilla1 cup powdered sugar3 tablespoons milkMix the cream cheese and sugar until crumbly.Then add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time. You can adjust the consistency of your frosting by adding more milk.Spread the frosting on the pancakes, just like a cinnamon roll.• Amanda Skiba is passionate about cooking and posts her favorite recipes at www.stuffurface.wordpress.com.