Banana Pancakes are a family favorite recipe and when my son asks me this year where I'd like him to take me for breakfast on Mother's Day, which is our tradition, I'm going to ask him to make these Banana Pancakes for me instead. He loves these pancakes, so now is a great time for him to learn how to make them himself so he can dazzle his friends in college and carry on the tradition with his own family someday.
I do not generally eat pancakes, but as with anything else in life, it's about balance and depriving myself makes me feel, well, deprived. So I'm going to splurge on Mother's Day and have these Banana Pancakes as is, but this recipe could easily be adapted to a healthier version by using whole wheat flour and omitting the sugar and the toppings.
Mother's Day Banana Pancakes
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 over-ripe banana (the browner the better)
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1) In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2) In another bowl, mash the banana with a fork until almost smooth. Whisk in the egg, add the milk and vanilla, and whisk to blend.
3) Pour the banana mixture and melted butter into the flour mixture. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula until just-blended. Do not over-mix, the batter will be lumpy.
4) Set a pan or griddle over medium heat (I use a griddle, set to 350 degrees) until hot. Put a pad of butter and 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil onto the pan/griddle and swirl it around.
5) Drop pancake batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the griddle. Cook until holes form on the top and the underside is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook another 2 minutes until golden brown and puffed.
Serve with: powdered sugar and sliced bananas,
or butter and syrup,
or nutella,
or strawberries and pecans,
or chocolate chips in the batter.
We love these pancakes with a smear of creamy peanut butter and real maple syrup and that's how I will be having my Banana Pancakes on Mother's Day. With bacon. Because, bacon.
XO, Lisa