Banana Nut Pancakes

Again with the bananas! We just can't eat them fast enough, so I end up having to find ways to use very ripe bananas in baked items. This morning, I experimented by throwing a smashed banana into my pancake batter and voila! If you're looking for a way to switch up Sunday morning breakfast, I definitely recommend this. They have a lot of natural sweetness, but aren't too sugary.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large ripe banana, mashed
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Directions

1. Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil, and bananas.
2. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy. Stir in chopped nuts.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides; serve hot.

Banana Chocolate Chippers

It's been a busy few weeks lately, so I've used this weekend to kind of "come up for air" and do some cooking to help me relax. So worth it!

Since I can never seem to consume a bunch of bananas before they get mushy and brown, I am constantly on the lookout for new ways to incorporate bananas into things. This is today's attempt, and has gotten rave reviews around my house.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 large ripe banana, mashed
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 2 cups of flour
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1 cup of chocolate chips

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
2 In a bowl, mix the mashed banana and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes.
3 Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.
4 Fold into the batter the chocolate chips. Drop in spoonfulls onto a silpat or parchment paper. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown.

They are delicious! I doubt they will last long around my house.

'Nanna Pudd'n

I am not a fan of banana pudding. I am generally not a fan of anything that involves soggy cookies. However, my family and friends love it, so I like to make it on occasion as a treat.

I've been looking for ways to jazz it up and make it a little different, and I think I've finally found one I like. I blended up wafer cookies, macadamia nuts, a tiny bit of sugar, and a tiny bit of salt together in my food processor, then mixed with butter to make a crust. After a quick bake and cool, I filled the bottom with banana slices, then french vanilla pudding, and topped it off with some whole cookies.

Turned out pretty well! The picture above is a dish of 'nanna pudd'n I made for our Easter feast.