Banana Pancakes

Yesterday I realized I had some bananas that were very, very ripe.  I started to think about what I could make (bars, bread, etc) when Jack Johnson's "Banana Pancakes" started playing in my head.  I then informed hubby we would be having banana pancakes for breakfast today.  

After I woke up and made my way to the kitchen, I started thinking that maybe I'd rather make banana fritters.  Remembering I had such a recipe, I pulled out my Jacques Pepin cookbook.  His recipe didn't appeal to me this morning, largely because it called for the bananas to be sliced.  I decided to just create something.  

As you can see, I ended up with pancakes more than fitters, but they were delicious so I'm okay with it.  I imagine this recipe will evolve, but hubby and I enjoyed our breakfast of banana pancakes.

Banana Pancakes

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup milk
• 3 bananas, mashed

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Make a little well in the center, then add the egg and a small amount of milk into it.  Slowly start to whisk the liquids into the dry ingredients, adding more milk as it thickens up.  Whisk until smooth.  Stir in the mashed bananas.  You want a fairly thick batter that won't spread much in the pan. 

In a skillet, heat 2-3 tbsp of oil over medium heat.  Spoon 1/3 cup of batter into the pan.  Depending on the size of your skillet, you could do 2 or 3 at a time.  Cook for three minutes on one side, until the edges start to set.  Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes, until it the pancake is firm.

We had ours with a thin icing (per hubby's request) but any syrup would work well.  
 

Banana Pudding

We're going to get back into the swing of things slowly. While staying at my dad's house, I saw he had alot of bananas, and knowing that my dad likes banana pudding, I decided I'd make him some. It's an easy, simple thing to make, but can be oh so good.

Banana Pudding:

• 1 box banana pudding mix, prepared
• 1 box Nilla Wafers
• A couple bananas

..Prepare your pudding mix.


Lay down a layer of Nilla wafers on the bottom of your nice dish... or tupperware container.. whatever you want to use. I prefer things with lids, and this lovely dish has one!


Slice the bananas and layer them on top of the wafers.



Pour your pudding on top.


Layer the rest of the bananas and Nilla wafers on top. Be decorative; be greedy. Be whatever you want. I figured I'd try to make it look decent.

Place in the fridge and let set for an hour or two. Dad likes it all. Hubby likes just the pudding. I personally LOVE the slightly soggy Nilla wafers. I'm weird, what can I say. All I know is that I am 100% willing to dig through the pudding to find them.

Banana Nut Bars

I love these light, fluffy bars of bananay goodness. The kids at school love them. The people at work, not so much. That's not to say my co-workers didn't eat them; I just didn't get a lot of feedback. Oh well. I'll still make them again
This recipe comes from the awesome Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. They're best if they sit for a day or so; the banana flavor seems to intensify into this mindblowing goodness.


Banana Nut Bars:
Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, pg 265

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mashed bananas (approx 3 medium bananas) I usually add a bit more
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (I use pecans)

icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp milk or orange juice (I use milk)

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 15x10x1 inch baking pan (I used parchment paper instead).

In a large bowl, beat butter on high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; beat until combined. Beat in eggs, bananas, sour cream, and vanilla.

Stir in flour, then pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan, making sure to spread it evenly.

Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

For the icing, mix the milk and vanilla into the powdered sugar. Add more milk as necessary to achieve a drizzle-worthy consistency.

Once the bars have cooled, drizzle the icing on top. I like to spread it evenly across the bars so each bite has a nice little crispy sugary goodness on top.