Carrot Cake Pancakes with Maple Cream Cheese Topping

Today, Seattle finally decided it was time to take off its rain jacket and put on the over-sized sunglasses today. These are the days when I look around the city and can't imagine ever living anywhere else.

...then I remember that 75% of the time clouds and drizzly rain blanket my world. Sigh.

BUT there are those precious days like today when the temperature gauge gets a workout and struggles up to 68 degrees. I can't help but chuckle to myself as the city suddenly becomes packed with eerily pale people who clearly hibernate for a majority of the year.

Oh wait. I'm one of those people.

I'm also one of those people with a special love for all things breakfast. And if breakfast was a kingdom, pancakes would be the king. The all mighty. The creme de la creme. The reigning deity.

Ok. You get the picture.

I usually try to whip up a breakfast creation (usually pancakes) every Sunday morning for E and I. After hearing about my Sunday brunches for quite awhile, my mom requested one of her own so we made the trek to her house on Saturday night.

My mom loves nuts, organic foods, carrot cake, and basically anything delicious (but who doesn't...silly). I browsed my favorite food blogs for awhile before I came across this absolute gem from Joy the Baker (who, by the way, is sensational!):

Carrot Cake Pancakes!!!

Ahhh. Drool. Just the memory of this morning's feast makes me want some more.

I tried to put my own spin on the recipe and used all organic ingredients to max the "healthy factor." Also, I tried to cut down on the sugar to make it less "dessert-y" and thus, less against my Lent pledge! Below is the recipe for both the pancakes and the cream cheese topping and my alterations in parenthesis.

Note: These babies are filling! I mean, I can usually pack away my fair share of food and I was struggling after two pancakes. On top of that, both E and I were full for about eight hours after brunch. Amazing!

Carrot Cake Pancakes:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used organic whole wheat flour)
  
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans (I used finely diced walnuts)
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (I used pumpkin pie spice)
  
• Dash nutmeg
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup packed brown or granulated sugar
• 1 cup milk (I used soy milk)
  
• 2 cups finely grated carrots
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Topping:

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 dash ground cinnamon

In a bowl, combine flour, walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, combine egg, brown sugar, milk, carrots, and vanilla; mix well.

Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients until combined. Pour batter by the 1/3 cupful onto a greased griddle. Turn when bubbles form on the top of the pancake. Flip, and cook until golden brown.

For cream cheese topping, blend cream cheese, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth.

Spread topping on pancakes just before serving. Enjoy! :)