Cinnamon Bun Pancakes with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

Brunch like none other! These warm and comforting cinnamon bun pancakes are topped with homemade maple cream cheese glaze and sprinkled with toasted, chopped pecans.
Directions for: Cinnamon Bun Pancakes with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

Ingredients

Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

3 oz cream cheese, such as Philadelphia, cut into small pieces, room temperature

cup grade B maple syrup

Cinnamon Swirl

1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

cup dark muscovado sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

cup heavy cream

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

1 cups all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

tsp baking soda

tsp table salt

1 cups buttermilk

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus for the pan

tsp vanilla extract

cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans

Directions

Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

1. Preheat the oven to 200F. Set a baking rack on a baking sheet and put it in the oven.

2. Put the cream cheese in a bowl. Heat the maple syrup in a small saucepan over low heat until it just begins to simmer, then pour over the cream cheese and whisk vigorously until smooth. Set aside and keep warm.

Cinnamon Swirl

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan until light golden brown. Whisk in the muscovado sugar and cinnamon; the sugar may clump and separate from the butter - don't worry. Whisk in 1/4 cup water and bring to a simmer, whisking until the mixture smooths out. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cream and simmer another 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool--the mixture will thicken as it cools--then transfer to a piping bag with a small tip.

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes

1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, 3 tablespoons melted butter, eggs and vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the dry and whisk until just combined.

2. Heat a large nonstick pan or cast-iron griddle over medium heat and brush with some melted butter. Ladle about 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and spread to make a 4-inch circle. Ladle in a few more pancakes, being careful not to crowd them.

3. When the pancakes just begin to form bubbles on the surface, pipe in the cinnamon swirl filling: Starting at the center of the pancakes, squeeze the filling on top in a swirl (just as you see in a regular cinnamon bun). Continue cooking until larger bubbles begin to appear, the surfaces are somewhat dry and set, and the bottoms are light golden brown, about 2 minutes--adjust the heat as necessary so the bottoms don't brown before the tops set. Flip over and continue cooking until golden brown on the reverse side, about 1 minute longer.

4. Transfer the pancakes to the oven to keep warm while you make the rest of the pancakes.

5. To serve: Stack 3 pancakes on each plate, drizzle with some of the maple cream cheese glaze, and sprinkle with pecans.