Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes

I know it's a school day, but my 4-year old got up early, fed the cats, and was assembling the griddle when I came downstairs around 6:20. He had a cookbook out and everything, looking for a pancake recipe. And have I mentioned how angelic he looks when he's getting into trouble?

So we made pancakes. Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes. I had to say no to the sausage request. Lent and all. But he got chocolate milk so breakfast was acceptable.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil

Directions

1. In one small mixing bowl, pour milk over oatmeal and set it aside to soak for a minute or two. This is especially important if you substitute regular rolled oats for the 1-minute kind. I usually use a 1-qt liquid measuring cup for this step so that I can use the pour spout for applying pancake batter to the griddle.
   
2. Heat griddle or a frying pan to medium heat (or whatever your griddle directions suggest for pancakes). Yes, I intentionally do this AFTER starting the oats soaking.
3. In another small mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
4. Whisk the egg and cooking oil into the oatmeal-milk mixture. Feel free to pre-beat the egg if you want, or just hand the whisk to your 4-year old sous chef.
5. Stir the flour mixture into the liquid until most of the big lumps are gone. It will be lumpy (duh, it's full of oatmeal), but there shouldn't be large clumps of flour left.
6. I rarely grease my griddle. I have found that, even with a regular (not even non-stick) frying pan, that pancakes don't stick as long as the pan is hot enough first (hint: water should sizzle and immediately evaporate). In fact, for me, pancakes cook better if the griddle isn't greased. Your mileage may vary.
7. Pour pancake batter onto griddle. Cook on the first side until the top is dry and the bottom is lightly golden-brown. if you flip them while the top is still wet, you will likely have gooey-middle-pancakes. If the bottom burns before the top dries, then scale back the heat.
8. I got 9 4-5" pancakes out of this recipe. Feel free to double it for larger apetites.