Banana Pancakes

A couple of years ago, we got some vouchers from a local grocery store in the post. Also in the envelope were a few recipes, one of which was for banana pancakes. This recipe does not seem to be on the store website, so I can't link to it, but it was quite simple and required just a few ingredients. The directions were to mash up a couple of bananas and mix in three beaten eggs, a pinch of baking powder (optional), and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Then coat a pan with a but of oil and cook the pancakes in that. It sounded good, so I made them and they were fine. We liked them well enough, but I didn't make them again until last week, and when I did, I decided to make them better. Now I love them and I've made them three times in the past 10 days.

Here's how I make them:
Mash two or three bananas in a bowl (if they're smaller, mash three, if large, two). Stir in a bit of vanilla or almond extract and/or cinnamon, if desired.

Beat three eggs, add to bananas and stir together. This mixture will be very loose and runny. You can cook them at this point if you wish and they will come out thin and pliable--almost crepe-like.

I wanted them to be more substantial and I wanted to cook them on my indoor grill rather than a pan, so I wanted a stiffer batter. I mixed in a pinch of baking powder, some coconut, oats, and a bit of wholemeal flour. You could stir in berries, nuts, dried fruit, or chocolate chips, if you wish.

When I cook these on my indoor grill, I spoon batter onto the bottom plate and leave the top up. When the bottom is firm enough to get the spatula under, I flip them and then close the lid. They cook in a couple of minutes and it's easier, faster, and less messy than cooking in a pan on the stove, but a griddle or pan would work fine.

I didn't measure, partly because I almost never do and partly because the amounts depend on how runny the batter is before you add the dry ingredients and how stiff you want the batter to be. I added just enough to make it 'spoonable' and so it would not run off the side of the grill when I put the batter on. This recipe seems to be very forgiving in any case. Today I added extra banana and an extra egg so I could make a bigger batch and it worked just fine.

These are not traditional white airy pancakes. I don't do well with those--I get an upset stomach when I eat them, so I don't bother making them. These do not upset my stomach and they are packed with nutrition. They're substantial enough for a meal and with the whole grains, they stick with me. Best of all, they taste really great. The first time I made my version of these, we had them for supper topped with mascarpone cheese and thawed frozen berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries).

We liked it so well  that night that we had it again a few days later. I've also had them topped with jam. I plan to have these again tonight, but topped with pure maple syrup and berries.

Although I haven't tried this, it also seems like these would be good spread with nut butter, instead of using bread or crackers.
These have become something that I will keep on hand in the fridge. They are delicious, quick to make, healthy, convenient, easily adapted and versatile. I'm glad I came across the recipe again and decided to adapt it to better suit our tastes!

I hope you're well, safe, and finding moments of contentment during these strange days.

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