Today marks the start of a big holiday weekend, full of traditions, good food and family which is why today is such a perfect time to celebrate Patty Pinner's latest book, Sweet Mornings, Patty is all about keeping family traditions alive and she does it warmly, humorously and ever so deliciously through the great food of her grandma, mama, aunties, cousins and family friends. If you're looking for a way to make this holiday weekend special for your loved ones, these Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Swirl pancakes will go a long way to proving your undying devotion. They are hands down, one of the best things I have ever tasted (ok, gobbled down!)

For those of you who've been keeping up with the blog, you may remember that I already posted about Patty this past summer with her wonderful Slap Yo Mama Blueberry Pie from Sweets:  Soul Food Desserts and Memories. From the moment I got my hands on that book I was in LOVE, not only with the recipes, but with Patty's wonderful family stories that precede each recipe entry. Sweet Mornings continues the great family storytelling but this time all of the recipes are breakfast related, most of them on the sweet side, which Patty's mama whole heartedly endorsed, a tradition I can totally get behind!

Patty describes these as being like a wonderful slice of old fashioned coffee cake. I think they remind me more of a gooey, cinnamon roll, but however you think of them they are absolutely divine!

You start off by making incredibly fluffy light pancakes. 

While those cook, you top them with a buttery brown sugar cinnamon mixture that cooks into the pancakes with a swirl and makes your whole house smell fantastic!

Then, when the pancakes are done you top each one with a sweet cream cheese glaze that melts into delightful little pools in between and over the sides of the stacked pancakes.

Which means that with each bite you get fluffy pancakes with a crunchy, caramelized, brown sugar, cinnamon exterior, slathered in a sweet creamy white glaze. Diet food? No! But oh so worth the occasional dessert-for-breakfast splurge!

Have a wonderful Easter shared with family, friends and of course, great food! I'll be back next week as we finish off March and head into April, yikes!!!

Sweet Mornings' Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes-Famous Fridays

Makes 8 pancakes (you can easily double the recipe if you're cooking for a large crowd)

Prep Time:  

Ingredients

For the Filling

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

For the Glaze

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3 tablespoons (or more if needed) heavy cream at room temperature (you use this to thin out the glaze)

For the Pancakes

• 1 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 large egg, room temperature and lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Nonstick baking spray

The Recipe

1.  To make the Filling:  In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Set aside.

2.  To make the Glaze:  Place the butter in a small saucepan and heat over low heat to melt it. Remove from the heat and add the cream cheese. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix well. To thin the glaze out and make it more spreadable, add 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream and stir well. If it's still very thick add another tablespoon or two and stir. Set aside.

3.  To make the Pancakes:  Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and oil, then pour into the flour mixture and stir until the batter is just barely combined--it's fine if it's a bit lumpy.

4.  Spray a large skillet with nonstick baking spray and and heat over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, ladle or pour about 1/3 cup of the batter onto the pan (I cooked 4 at a time).

5.  After the pancakes have been cooking for about 1 minute, give the brown sugar/cinnamon filling a little stir and drizzle a small amount over the top of each pancake in a swirly motion. Let the pancake cook for another 2-3 minutes, until you start to see bubbles on the surface and the bottoms are golden and set. Then flip the pancakes and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the pancakes are soft and pillowy. Place 1 pancake on each of the 4 plates. Clean out the pan with a paper towel and repeat with the remaining batter.

6.  Quickly spread a layer of the glaze over the top of each of the pancakes--you want it to get all melty and gooey. As soon as the second batch of pancakes is ready, top the glazed pancakes with another pancake and top that with more glaze. Serve immediately.

7.  Recipe doubles easily.

Note:  Recipe adapted from Sweet Mornings by Patty Pinner. I changed the method for drizzling on the filling, but otherwise I stayed pretty true to the recipe.