Boyfriend never really gets a day off.  When he’s not at work he’s busy doing renovation projects to make our house into a beautiful home.  And now that I’m back at school full-time my weekends are more about studying and getting caught up on laundry and food-prep.  So in an effort to not become two ships passing in the night, I’ve decided to start making special Sunday morning breakfasts.  And to start off the tradition, I made these banana pancakes.

I’m very particular about my bananas and prefer to eat them when they don’t have any spots on them.  Which usually gives me about two days to eat all the bananas (which obviously doesn’t happen).  So I either use spotted bananas in smoothies, or I save them for baking.  Banana bread is a good standby, but I was in the mood for something different this week.  These banana pancakes are perfect for overly ripe bananas, you use up 4 in the recipe (or feel free to halve the recipe), and they’re so light and fluffy with warm bits of banana throughout.  I like them topped with peanut butter, but they’re great with a little syrup, or would probably be fantastic with a little nutella (I love leftover pancakes with nutella).

What are your favorite pancake toppings?  How do you use up old bananas?

Banana Pancakes

Serves 4-6 

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

• 3 cups flour (I used 2 cups all-purpose, and 1 cup whole wheat)
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 cups buttermilk (I used regular milk with a dash of vinegar)
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 6 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, honey, and vanilla extract.

Mix the wet ingredients with the dry until just combined.  Stir in the mashed bananas.

Heat a griddle (or a large skillet on the stove) over high heat (350-400), and scoop about 1/3 cup of batter to make pancakes.  Cook until bubbles start to form around the edges, then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side or until golden brown and cooked through.  Serve with peanut butter, extra banana slices, and/or syrup.

Seat Family Syrup

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup water

In a saucepan, mix the brown sugar and flour together, until evenly dispersed.  Add the butter and water.  Heat the mixture over medium high heat until the butter melts.  Stir regularly until the mixture comes to a boil.  Let boil for 1 minute, then reduce heat to a simmer until ready to serve.  Syrup will thicken slightly as it cools.