In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir until the mixture is smooth and fully combined.

Place room temperature cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on medium and beat together for 1 minute, until whipped and fluffy.

Add in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar (and optional salt), beat again on low for 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until everything is incorporated.

If the glaze is too thick, add a splash of milk or heavy cream, beat until creamy. Set aside.

Heat a griddle or non-stick pan over medium-high heat. If using a griddle, set it to 350°F (175°C).

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, melted and cooled unsalted butter, egg and vanilla extract.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Gently stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; a few lumps are okay.

Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes. This helps the ingredients meld, improves the texture of the pancakes, and helps to create fluffier pancakes.

Add 2 tablespoons of pancake batter to the cinnamon swirl mixture and stir gently. This helps the swirl hold its shape and stay defined in the pancake.

Transfer the cinnamon swirl mixture to a piping bag, a zip-top bag (with the corner cut off). Set aside while you prep the pancake batter.

Lightly grease the griddle or pan with butter or non-stick cooking spray.

Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Use the back of a spoon to spread the batter into a round shape if needed.

Immediately pipe the cinnamon filling in a tight spiral starting from the center and working outward. Be careful not to get the filling too close to the edges. For the neatest swirl, pipe slowly and keep the tip pushed into the batter. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then BEFORE flipping, add a second swirl on top of the existing swirl. Flip the pancakes with a spatula and cook the other side until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Note: During my testing, I found that adding a second layer of the cinnamon swirl mixture right before flipping gave the pancakes the extra cinnamon boost it needed!

Remove the pancakes from the griddle or pan and keep warm. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Clean the pan or griddle with a damp cloth to clear away excess cinnamon mixture after each batch. Re-spray with cooking spray before adding more batter.

Warm the cream cheese glaze and drizzle over the pancakes and enjoy.