Caramelized Banana-Apple Pancakes

    UPDATE: Making a new batch pancakes once a week, I've gotten pretty creative with my wonderful pancake batter recipe. So I decided to share with you some of my famliy's favorite variations at the bottom of the page with you! 

  Oh how I adore breakfast. I never understand how so many people can skip it in the mornings! (My husband being one of them.) Normally I favor the savory side of breakfast when faced with a restaurant menu but I have a sincere love for the breakfast sweets like french toast, waffles, pancakes and my beloved coffee cake (I'll have to make that next week). ;) Now that I think about it, I've been on a waffle kick for such a long time because I have recently perfected my Belgian waffle recipe (another recipe to share, I guess!)

   Actually, pancakes never really got that much love in my kitchen even though I enjoy them so much. Maybe it is because when it came to making pancakes at home it's always been somewhat of a conundrum. I usually end up sticking with a "Pancake Mix" and I just knew I could do better than that! My main issue was that I have never found that perfect pancake recipe that has exactly what I want: light, melt in your mouth texture, easy ingredients (basics I know I usually have on hand), and easy execution (no whipping egg whites for that "light" texture- what mom has time for that in the morning??). Until now.

   I finally found my perfectly balanced, consistently delicious pancake recipe. And other than substituting the buttermilk for milk w/lemon juice don't go switching a bunch of other ingredients and wonder why it's just "ok". It's not going to be the same, so just make them! These are just as delicious on their own, but I decided to mix things up one morning for my husband & my little Lana and I'm soooo glad I did! It is going to be hard to not make them this way from now on, they were so scrumptious! Even my non-breakfast eating husband can't resist.

   The reason I chose apples & bananas is because, well...it's what I had. My mom gave me a TON of these mini apples from her apple tree and had one random banana on it's last legs. I am also always on a mission to combine fruits & veggies into everything I feed Lana. One of the best parts of this particular recipe is how the bananas & apples almost completely melt into the pancakes as they cook. It permeates throughout each bite with a few bits of fruit texture.....mmm..mmm..mmm.

  Did I also mention how perfect these reheat?? Let them cool completely before tossing them into a ziploc bag and into the fridge. The next day, pop these in the TOASTER! (On the "light" setting, of course). They come back to life perfectly, as if they are right off the griddle. No joke! And unless you are cooking for the entire fam, you will have leftovers (makes about 20 medium pancakes!) Don't panic, they are so light, most people eat 3-4 in a sitting.

 Caramelized Banana-Apple Pancakes (yields about 20 medium pancakes)

PERFECT BATTER: 

1 3/4 cups buttermilk (OR just 2 cups milk with 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice and let sit for about 10 min)

1/4 cup milk 

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbs. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 large egg

3 Tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (plus extra for griddling & fruit)

FRUIT GOODNESS:

2 Tbs unsalted butter

2 Tbs brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 large apple (gala, fiji), cut in 1/2 inch pieces

1 large banana, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

Pinch salt

The Players

   First start with caramelizing the fruit- In a medium saute pan, heat butter over med-high heat. Add apples and saute for about 1-2 minutes. Add bananas, brown sugar, cinnamon & pinch of salt. Saute until apples are tender.

  Set aside and let cool slightly.

  Next, make the pancake batter. In a medium bowl, whisk in the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt).

  Next, whisk in the buttermilk, milk, and egg. (The reason I use a bit of milk with the buttermilk is because I found that it makes the batter a bit more loose and easy to pour. Also keeps it a bit thinner when they bake, which I like)

  Do NOT over mix! A few lumps are a GOOD thing in pancake batter. Gently fold in the warm butter and caramelized fruit. I like it slightly warm because I found that it jump starts that baking powder & soda.

    Here comes the technique part- Cooking these lovely things.

    First, preheat your oven to 200 degrees so you have a place to keep your pancakes warm. (In case you need it)

    Heat a large skillet or in my case a griddle (preferred selection) over med-low heat for at least 3-5 minutes before cooking. Add butter to coat the pan. Doesn't that just look like something wonderful is going to happen on this griddle??

    Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, portion the pancakes onto griddle giving a few inches space for them to grow.

    Getting hungry???? You should be!

   It's pretty frustrating to try to guess when to flip a pancake and guessing wrong. Flipping one that isn't "set" quite yet so it's not strong enough to flip without falling apart or making a mess of your pan is not a fun experience. Be patient! Here are two sure-fire tricks to knowing when to flip these babies. (only works when heat is at the proper med-low temp) 

   First- bubbles start to surface and pop through the batter.

   Second- the edges start to look like they are cooking or developing a "skin" (see pic below) See how the edges look less "wet" than the center? It's time to flip!

   Let them get a golden brown on both sides. Takes about 2-3 minutes on first side, 2 minutes the second side.

   At this point the intoxicating smell of cinnamon, brown sugar, banana & apple should be making your family very antsy to eat. (you know you are doing your job)

   This makes about 20 pancakes. Place them on a baking cooling rack that is set on a cookie sheet in the oven while you finish up all the batter.

    I am very simplistic. Butter & Maple Syrup is usually good for me, but with the flavor of these pancakes, you can easily forgo the butter if desired. There are so many awesome flavors going on, a drizzle of syrup is more than enough.

    Man, I wish I had some right now!! Oh wait...I do. (hee hee). Needless to say my 14 month old scarfed down an entire one on her own. Chris and I followed her lead. The fruit has melted into the pancake and you can taste each amazing layer of flavor: banana, apple, cinnamon & brown sugar. A perfect combination in most people's eyes, wouldn't you agree?

    Make these and this is what you will get in return....

     Enough said.

UPDATED: Delicious variations. I have made them all and they are all kid & adult approved! 

Whole Wheat- swap 1 cup of flour for whole wheat flour. No one can tell the difference and it give a slight nuttiness that is delish! I do this to most of my pancakes now. Do this with any flavor of pancake. 

Banana Chocolate Chip- don't cook the bananas, just thinly slice them raw and instead of the apple, add 1/2 cup mini or regular chocolate chips (semi-sweet or darker gives it the most chocolately flavor)

Pumpkin Spice- instead of the banana & Apple, add 1 standard can of pumpkin purée (yes you read that right. I like to taste my pumpkin. You can add less if you like), 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp

ground ginger, and 1/8 tsp clove. Garnish with toasted chopped pecans if you wish 

Coconut-Banana-Mac Nut- again, don't cook the banana. Thinly slice it and add to batter. Substitute 1/2 cup buttermilk for coconut milk (regular or light). Instead of the apple, add 1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut. Top with chopped, toasted macadamia nuts a few banana slices & toasted coconut (if you're feeling fancy) I make this when I'm missing Maui :) 

Classic Blueberry: Stir in 1 cup (or more!)  fresh blueberries instead of the apples & bananas. Add some lemon zest too if you want another dimension of flavor! 

Peanut Butter & Jelly- Forgo the apples. & bananas. Warm about 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I use Skippy Natural because it's less sugar). Gently swirl in peanut butter & 1/2 cup of your favorite jam/preserves/jelly. Do not over mix! Childhood fav. 

Banana-Blueberry- Drop the apple & instead of cooking the banana, thinly slice it and stir into batter. Add 1 cup fresh blueberries. 




Caramelized Banana-Apple Pancakes (yields about 20 medium pancakes)

VERSATILE BATTER:

1 3/4 cups buttermilk (OR just 2 cups milk with 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice and let sit for about 10 min)

1/4 cup milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbs. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 large egg

3 Tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (plus extra for griddling)

FRUIT GOODNESS:

1 Tbs butter (for cooking fruit)

2 Tbs brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 large apple (gala, fiji), cut in 1/2 inch pieces

1 large banana, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

Pinch salt

   First start with caramelizing the fruit- In a medium sauté pan, heat butter over med-high heat. Add apples and sauté for about 1-2 minutes. Add bananas, brown sugar, cinnamon & pinch of salt. Sauté until apples are tender. Set aside and let cool slightly.

  Next, make the pancake batter. In a medium bowl, whisk in the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Whisk in the buttermilk, milk, and egg. (The reason I use a bit of milk with the buttermilk is because I found that it makes the batter a bit more loose and easy to pour. Also keeps it a bit thinner when they bake, which I like) Do NOT over mix! A few lumps are a GOOD thing in pancake batter. Gently fold in the warm butter and caramelized fruit.

  First, preheat your oven to 200 degrees so you have a place to keep your pancakes warm. (In case you need it) Heat a large skillet or in my case a griddle (preferred selection) over med-low heat for at least 3-5 minutes before cooking. Add butter to coat the pan. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, portion the pancakes onto griddle giving a few inches space for them to grow.

  Here are two sure-fire tricks to knowing when to flip these babies. (only works when heat is at the proper med-low temp) First- bubbles start to surface and pop through the batter. Second- the edges start to look like they are cooking or developing a "skin" or look less “wet” around the edges. Let them get a golden brown on both sides. Takes about 2-3 minutes on first side, 2 minutes the second side.

  This makes about 20 pancakes. Place them on a baking cooling rack that is set on a cookie sheet in the oven while you finish up all the batter. Serve with butter & syrup. Enjoy!