Anyone else always have that one left over banana? Like you have finally been realistic about not buying 5 bananas anymore because you never ever ever eat all five so you buy three AND STILL one is left to brown? It’s like the banana trees have a curse that guarantees a minimum of one banana goes brown just to stick it to us banana consumers.

Well I have, one too many times, and I am tired of a slowly growing bag of ripe bananas in the freezer to eventually use in the muffins or bread that I am never going to make. I like them but after I have had one I am kinda over it.

So I have the bananas whittled down to maybe having one leftover banana which is absolutely perfect for banana pancakes. Quick and easy, this recipe is perfect for an afternoon snack with the kiddos or a Saturday morning breakfast.

Banana Pancakes:

Ingredients:

1 over ripe banana

1 T sugar, honey, maple syrup

1 egg

1 t vanilla

1/4 t cinnamon

1 t baking powder

1/2 cup AP flour

1-2 T unsalted butter

pinch of salt

Instructions:

In a bowl, mash the banana into a puree. Add the egg and vanilla and mix together. Add sugar, salt, cinnamon powder, and flour. Mix until combined. Pour in milk and stir. If the batter is still to stiff add more liquid but do so sparingly. Heat pan on medium and add butter. Pour batter into pan. (you can do one big pancake or make smaller sizes. Wait for the batter to show bubbles before flipping over. Once flipped cook until batter is cooked (depending on temp and time, its about 3-4 minutes on the first side and about 1-2 minutes on the last side. Remove from pan and stack on a plate. Serve with powdered sugar or syrup. (I actually eat mine plain)

If I have chocolate, coconut, or pecans, all of them will wind up in the pancake as well. Use your imagination and fill your pancakes with your choosing just don’t over fill it.

Ideas for fillings that could also be used to top your pancakes:

• sliced strawberries
• blueberries
• nuts
• sesame seeds
• peanut butter
• chocolate chips
• coconut flakes
• spices like cardamon or mace used sparingly
• orange zest
• guava, pineapple, mango (bananas are tropical so any tropical fruit works)
• ginger
• coffee

weird and Unusual items to expiriment with:

• sweet potato: (easiest way to add is to double the recipe and add the same amount of sweet potato as you have banana.) You can also substitute all sweet potato.
• bacon: when they say bacon goes with anything its not exactly true. But this combination works, so don’t sleep on it. The kids will love this funky pancake twist if you cook the bacon till almost crispy and pour batter on top of it making a long and skinny pancake. Turns pancakes into finger foods and kids go wild for it. These should basically be sold at fairs.
• blue cheese: this one will not be for everyone, especially kids. Unless they like fart tasting jelly beans then they may be adventurous enough to be interested in this. If you like sweet and salty this is a combo worth experiencing. Adding toasted walnuts will round this out too.