Banana Pancakes

An ongoing dilemma in our house is what to do with over-ripe bananas. I am not a picky eater by any stretch of the imagination, however, I am very picky when it comes to eating bananas. I will only eat them raw if they are completely free of even the hint of a brown spot and are still a little green. So we are inevitably left with two or three bananas from the bunch, left sitting out on the counter until I can make something else with them. Typically, they become one of two things - banana bread or banana pancakes. This week it was pancakes - topped with Vermont Maple Syrup and with a side of bacon. Yum!

Of course, if anyone has any other ideas about things that you can make with over-ripe bananas, I'm all ears. Someone once suggested Banana Pudding, however, since it's typically made using raw bananas, for me (picky, picky) they would still need to be a little green.


Banana Pancakes (for two)

1 c. all purpose flour (or whole wheat if you prefer it)
2 tbs. sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tbs. melted butter
2 over-ripe mashed bananas

Combine first four dry ingredients in a medium to large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/2 c. milk, egg, mashed bananas, and vanilla. Mix into dry ingredients, just until combined. Fold in melted butter. (Note: you can use more milk if you like thinner pancakes). Heat pan coated with a little butter or oil over medium heat, then add desired amount of batter and cook until bubbles form in the middle of the pancake. Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Yield: about 6 medium pancakes

Tip: If you're like me and you don't have a griddle where you can cook a large batch of pancakes all at once, then just preheat your oven to 250 degrees and as you cook your pancakes place them on a cookie sheet and into the preheated oven. This will keep them warm and crisp without further cooking them.