Healthier Cinnamon Buns (in Pancake form!)

It's a pancake that satisfies the craving for a cinnamon bun. (Well, if you are in the mood for those flavors. If you are in the mood for something heavy, sugary, and buttery, this likely won't do it for ya)

I was inspired by THIS recipe, but was shocked when I saw how much butter and sugar she put in those things.  As delicious as they look, I edited a bunch of things from the original recipe to come up with my own version.

(please note- when I made this, I was home alone, so these amounts are for 3 medium sized pancakes!  In the end, they were so decadent I could only finish one and a half. If you want to make more pancakes, double or triple the amounts)

Ingredients:
CINNAMON FILLING:
1 tbs butter, melted
1 tbs coconut sugar (use any sweetener you would like)
1/2 tbs ground cinnamon

PANCAKES:
I used Aunt Jemima complete pancake mix, but you can use any pancake recipe you'd like

TOPPING:
cream cheese (I used lowfat)

Directions:

1. Prepare the cinnamon filling: In a small bowl microwave the butter until melted.  Stir in the cinnamon and coconut sugar until well combined.  Pour the filling into a zip baggie and set it aside 
2. Prepare the pancake batter (again, I used a mix so this step was easy!)
3. Cook the pancakes: Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-heat and spray with nonstick spray. Add batter to the pan, and reduce the heat to medium low. 
4. Snip the corner of your baggie of cinnamon filling and squeeze the filling into the open corner. When your pancake begins to form bubbles, add the filling in a swirl (see photo below)
5. Cook the pancake until golden brown on the bottom. Flip, and cook until the other side is golden as well.  
6. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling.
7. Serve with a thin coating of cream cheese

Note:  When I swirled my cinnamon filling, it was kind of drippy. The original recipe recommends waiting until it has cooled a bit so that it is thicker when you add it to the pancake.  Good idea!

Recipe adapted from Recipe Girl