So Sunday is Mother’s Day. I’m sure you already knew that. I’m sure you already made plans with your mom and I’m sure you already bought her something nice. Because, of course, you remembered it was Mother’s Day Sunday… of course.

Unfortunately, I will be working and not celebrating with my mom, which really stinks because she’s kind of awesome- even though she refuses to admit I’m better at Singstar and Scrabble. It’s ok, though. I was an obnoxious, annoying teenager for a solid 6ish years. For instance, for my senior prom, shopping for my prom dress was so stressful that she came home after hours of shopping and finding nothing (cause I was seriously the worst person to shop with then) and made herself a large, probably very strong, margarita. It’s not my fault that all the dresses were too girly/too ugly/too frilly/too ruffly/too not black/too not-edgy-enough and I waited until the last minute to go shopping! So, letting her think she’s better at scrabble and singstar is the least I can do for her now, right?

Anyway, as Mother’s Day usually equals brunch, I’ve whipped up some pancakes to share with you. These are delicious! Unfortunately, during the process, I realized I’m almost as bad at flipping pancakes as wrapping burritos, so just pretend these are prettier, ok? Thanks.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
veganized from RecipeGirl.com
if you use the 1/3 cup, as suggested below, will make 4-5 pancakes

CINNAMON FILLING:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) Earth Balance vegan butter, just melted (not boiling)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

GLAZE:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) Earth Balance
2-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (optional. I couldn’t find a vegan version of cream cheese so I omitted this and it still tasted great! Trader Joe’s is suppose to have a really tasty cream cheese, though, if you want to try and find it)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

PANCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1 large “egg”, lightly beaten (I used 1 Ener-G “egg”)
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

Prepare the cinnamon filling: In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a quart-sized heavy zip baggie and set it aside (see *Tips below).

Prepare the glaze: In a small pan, heat the butter over low heat until melted. Turn off the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar into the pan, stir and add in vanilla extract. Set the pan aside while you make the pancakes.

Prepare the pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the milk, egg and oil, just until the batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).

Cook the pancakes: Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-heat. (You can spray the pan with non-stick spray if you desire but I found they made my pancakes yellow so I omitted this) Use an ice cream scoop (or 1/3 cup measuring cup) to add the batter to the pan. Use the bottom of the scoop or cup to spread the batter into a circle (about 4-inches in diameter). Reduce the heat to medium low. Snip the corner of your baggie of cinnamon filling (it should be the consistency of toothpaste) and squeeze the filling into the open corner. When your pancake begins to form bubbles, add the filling. Starting at the center of the pancake, squeeze the filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl. Cook the pancake 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bubbles begin popping on top of the pancake and it’s golden brown on the bottom. Slide a thin, wide metal spatula underneath the pancake and gently but quickly flip it over. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well. When you flip the pancake onto a plate, you will see that the cinnamon filling has created a crater-swirl of cinnamon. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling. Re-warm the glaze briefly, if needed. Serve pancakes topped with a drizzle of glaze.

Tips from Recipegirl.com:

*Quick and easy tip: Use a boxed pancake mix as the base for this recipe. (most bisquick IS vegan, last time I checked.)
*Tips for the cinnamon filling: Before swirling, open up the baggie again and give it a good stir to re-incorporate any butter that may have separated from the sugar. You want the mixture to thicken a bit- it’s best when it’s similar to the squeezing texture of a tube of toothpaste, which will happen if you leave it at room temperature for several minutes. Don’t try to use the filling for the pancake swirl unless it has thickened as it will be too runny to make a solid swirl.
*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 you aren’t seeing your mom this weekend and are instead partying it up with your friends are Friday, I imagine these would also be excellent at soaking up all that beer in your belly the next morning!