I don’t feel like I need to give you a big introduction to these Banana Nut Pancakes. Do I really have to sell you on the idea of thick, fluffy buttermilk pancakes sweetened with ripe bananas, spiced with nutmeg, and speckled with toasted pecans? Build a towering stack and top it with more sliced banana and another handful of nuts before drowning the whole thing in warm maple syrup. I can’t really think of anything else I need to say.
Just one thing: you can skip the nuts if you don’t care for them or can’t eat them – or substitute other nuts such as walnuts or hazelnuts.
Making Banana Nut Pancakes ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Pancakes are always best served hot off the griddle, but can be kept warm in a 200-degree oven for 30 minutes or so if you need to make them a little bit ahead.
- Leftovers will not have quite the same texture as freshly-griddled pancakes but will still be delicious reheated in a 300-degree oven, the microwave, or (my go-to), the toaster. Enjoy leftovers within 3 days.
Banana Nut Pancakes
February 4, 2022
: 4
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1¾ cup flour (7 3/8 ounces/210 grams)
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or 1/8 teaspoon Morton’s
- 1½ cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ripe bananas, one mashed (about ½ cup), the other whole
- ¾ cup chopped, toasted pecans, divided
- 1 to 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as expeller-pressed canola oil
- Maple syrup for serving
Directions
- Step 1 Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Step 2 Combine the dry ingredients (flour through nutmeg) in a large bowl and whisk them to blend. Toss with your fingers to make sure that the brown sugar is evenly distributed with no lumps.
- Step 3 Whisk together the buttermilk, egg and vanilla, then gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, just until combined. Add the melted butter and gently stir, just until combined. The batter will be thick and somewhat lumpy, but you shouldn’t see clumps of dry flour. Gently fold in the mashed banana and ½ cup of the chopped pecans.
- Step 4 Let the batter sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Heat the oven to 200 and place a large empty sheet pan (or the plates you’ll use for serving) in the oven.
- Step 5 When the batter is done resting, pour about 1 tablespoon of oil onto the griddle, then use a paper towel to rub the oil all over the griddle and remove most of the visible oil, leaving just a thin sheen. Cook the pancakes in batches. Ladle about ½ cup of batter for each pancake, spacing the pancakes well apart. Cook the pancakes without turning or moving until the edges of the pancakes look dry and rising bubbles make small holes in the top surface. Lift the edge of each pancake to make sure it’s golden brown on the bottom before flipping. Flip and cook the other side to golden brown. The pancakes should only be flipped once, and cooking both sides should take 6 to 10 minutes total depending on how evenly your griddle distributes heat. Transfer the cooked pancakes to the sheet pan or plates in the oven, and repeat to cook the remaining pancakes. If the griddle looks dry, add a little more oil in between batches, making sure to wipe off the excess with the paper towel.
- Step 6 Arrange the pancakes on a serving platter, or stack them on individual plates. Peel and slice the reserved banana and scatter the slices over and around the pancakes. Sprinkle with the reserved ¼ cup of chopped pecans. Serve immediately with maple syrup.
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