Friday, July 8, 2011

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes with Warm Maple Glaze


Sugar... Can't live with it, can't live without it.  We have one of those love/hate relationships, I really love all sorts of sugars, but my waist and hips don't.  Liv, however, has had a love affair with sugar her entire life and so far her hips don't mind.

Born with an inherited sweet tooth, Liv has always been drawn to anything sweet - fruit, gummy worms, marshmallows, and well, plain sugar.  It wasn't until she was about 4 that I actually caught her in the pantry spooning the granulated goodness out of the bin into her mouth, but I think that was only because she couldn't reach it before then.

Years ago as we sat in one of our introductory Girl Scout meetings I had the girls go around the circle saying their favorite foods.  Getting the usual answers of pizza, ice cream and hamburgers I do remember Miley throwing the curve ball of asparagus.  As Liv's turn came around she threw a curve of her own as she smiled, threw open her arms and proclaimed that her favorite food was, you guessed it, "Sugar!!".  Being the leader and her mom I had to smile, realizing we might need to have a talk about what constitutes a "food item"!

Through the years she has learned to control her cravings, but on occasion I still find the empty candy bins shoved under her bed as hidden evidence.  As she trains during her dance season she really tries hard to keep up a good diet filled with proteins, complex carbs and lots of fruits (veggies aren't a favorite) to keep up her energy and health, but summer vacation is a time for treats - or so she has reminded me.

Settling into our routine of leisurely starts to the day I found this recipe placed prominently on top of our electric griddle this morning along with a big smilie face and an "I love you" on a note.  Noting that the recipe has a  decent dose of whole grains in addition to the potassium rich bananas I conceded that these pancakes would be an ideal way to start the day.

While the pancakes cook up nice and fluffy giving off a delectable aroma of bananas combined with the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg, it is the Maple Glaze that takes them over the top.  Pure maple syrup is mixed with a hefty dose of powdered sugar along with a touch of vanilla and butter to create something "other-worldly".  Warmed and poured over a fresh stack of banana pancakes topped with diced bananas and walnuts you have what Liv lovingly calls "Sugary Heaven".

This shot featured on Food Porn Daily


Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes with Warm Maple Glaze  

1 cup whole wheat flour (I used 3/4 cup Spelt and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour)
1 cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg

1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cup milk (we used fat free)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 Tbs canola oil
diced bananas (optional)
chopped walnuts (optional)

Warm Maple Glaze
1/2 cup maple syrup
1-2 Tbs butter
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, whisking to combine.  In a smaller bowl whisk together the brown sugar, milk, egg, oil, vanilla and mashed banana.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined being careful not to over mix, adding more milk if the batter is too thick for your preference.


Heat a skillet or griddle to medium heat.  Ladle batter into onto the hot cooking surface and cook until bubbles form on top – about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for a minute or two more.  Repeat with remaining batter.  Serve with diced bananas, walnuts and the decadent warm Maple Glaze!

To make glaze, simply warm the syrup and butter and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Pour over pancakes for Sugary Heaven!

Liv says "Bring on the Sugary Heaven!"
Note:  While the glaze was indeed decadent, it was a bit too sweet for me.  I preferred my  banana pancakes with the plain ole maple syrup straight from the bottle.  Liv however gave the glaze two thumbs up and wants to know if we can have pancakes this way every day now.

38 comments:

  1. Aaaamazing. That looks super delicious :) We're big on pancakes in our house so this is perfect for a lie in Sunday :) Buzzed!

    ReplyDelete
  2. We made this same recipe from Jessica's blog this week too!!! It was ahhhhhhhhhhh-mazing!!! I guess I'll hold off on posting it! lol

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love the idea of using a glaze looks wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would very much like to start my day with these- that maple glaze is d r e a m y!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This post is literally making my mouth water...hmmmm...yum :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh Kim... First off your story about Liv with the sugar cracked me up!! And second these look incredible!! I actually have 3 bananas sitting in my kitchen ready to be made into something fabulous... Just might have to make these!

    ReplyDelete
  7. So drool worthy!! I wish I could smell those cakes a cookin'!! I just made banana bread about an hour ago...if I had seen this first I would have made the pancakes!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yum! I usually make banana waffles with chocolate chips! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. You always come up with the best pancake recipes! :) This one sounds fabulous... everyone in my house loves bananas so much, that you'd think we were a bunch of monkeys :p gotta try this one! Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I want to indulge myself in this sugary heaven just like Liv said. I wish... I gained weight way too much that this is so dangerous to me... By the way Liv really ate the sugar?! LOL! I love your pictures of pancakes. Totally picture perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love the picture.. beautifully presented..

    New to ur space and absolutely love it.. following u for more wonderful creations..

    Do visit me as time permits..
    http://comeletseat.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have a very similar relationship with sugar:-) My tastebuds love it, my body not so much. These pancakes would make my tastebuds very happy and at least they are whole wheat:-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Now that's a real breakie treat. I have no one to make one for me tho... :( Shame! Hahaha

    ReplyDelete
  14. Some say chocolate is a food group, so why not sugar? I can't imagine spooning it in my mouth though. The pancakes look amazing, especially seeing them first thing in the morning like I am. And we're just having cold cereal. Ugh. I'm with you though; simple maple syrup.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have been looking for a good banana pancake recipe, and this looks delicious! I love that you use whole wheat flour as well. Thanks for the great recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I wish I had these for breakfast right now! Love that they were made healthier with the whole wheat too. Ok now I might really have to go make some pancakes.

    ReplyDelete
  17. My sweet tooth caught up to my hips about two years ago. I still haven't accepted that I can't just eat whatever anymore.
    Your pancakes sound like the perfect happy medium for a sweet tooth trying to be healthy :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love banana pancakes - and I can imagine just how heavenly these are! I actually haven't had any pancakes in a while and now I want to whip some up and top it with a warm sugary glaze like you did. Great recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Who could say no to such delicious-looking pancakes with that puddle of goodness (aka maple glaze) - not me that's for sure. Your photo is just inviting me to take a bite. I may just have to whip up a batch of these in the morning since I have some lovely apple bananas at the moment.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I have never had a banana pancake before, but these sound AMAZING. I prefer my homemade banana bread with wheat flour, so I know I would love these wheat pancakes!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Look at the glaze!!!!! I will be making this next weekend when we have family visiting!

    ReplyDelete
  22. These are wonderful, Liv! Good job on picking one with great ingredients ;-) You did an awesome job, Kim! Makes me want to have some pancakes this morning, even though I'm not a pancake person! Sugary heaven, indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  23. These are ultimate pancakes....lovely photos and I love idea of the warm syrup....great:)

    ReplyDelete
  24. These pancakes look so yummy, with all of that Maple syrup glaze, which is probably too sweet for me.
    Gorgeous pics! I just like fruit on top of my pancakes with a tiny bit of warmed maple syrup, but at least Liv was Happy:)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Kim, you always come up with the BEST pancake recipes! I pinned this one for some lazy Sunday in the near future...or perhaps breakfast-for-dinner!!

    ReplyDelete
  26. wow this looks like a healthy pancake:)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Oh wow. This is definitely going on the docket for our breakfast-for-dinner night. :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hahahaha! I sure do love that Liv of yours! Little Butt has a crazy sweet tooth as well. Hers is more chocolate focused though. She just can't help herself sometimes. Even if I drop cocoa powder on the counter, there's her little finger. She runs from another room as soon as I pull chocolate out of the pantry, as if she can smell it. It's crazy.

    These pancakes look fantastic. I think I could take a bowl of that glaze and a spoon and be set. I love maple!

    Thanks for sharing yet another great breakfast recipe! The bananas and whole wheat flour make them healthy right???

    ReplyDelete
  29. This glaze makes this look over the top! They sound wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  30. What a wonderful pancakes! I love them, me an my colleagues found that picture in food po*n site and become so in love with it! Thanks for making a our days.

    ReplyDelete
  31. All your recipes look amazing! Fresh & healthy without compromising taste!

    ReplyDelete
  32. OH sweet baby Jesus. These are every bit as delicious as the photo led me to believe. If you 1/4 the recipe it's just enough for 1. If you make the whole recipe, I can still eat them all. I skipped the egg and substituted extra banana, and used buttermilk because I had some extra in the fridge. I actually can't think of anything that would make these better. Nutty, spicy, sweet, soft, crunchy all exciting my senses at the same time. Yum.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thanks Tracy!! I'm SO glad that you like these pancakes. They are truly a favorite around our household and I'm thrilled that you enjoyed them!!

    ReplyDelete
  34. How many does this make? Do you have nutritional info for those that have restrictions?

    ReplyDelete
  35. So sorry Barb! I don't have nutritional info, and depending on the size pancakes you make you will receive different amounts.
    We, however, received about 9 good sized (not plate sized) pancakes out of our batch. Hope that helps a little!

    ReplyDelete
  36. You have butter for the glaze recipe but it's not listed so I just guessed. Turned out fine but how much do you suggest? My 1 1/2 year old boy ate two good sized pancakes tonight and kept wanting more while my spouse could barely eat two of them. Sooooo good! Going to be making these a 3rd time for sure, and again and again!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Thank you!! I remember adding a pat of butter as an afterthought when I made the glaze, it wasn't much, just a Tablespoon or two, but it gave a silky finish to the glaze! Thanks for catching that, I appreciate the note.
    So glad your son loved them! We do them for dinner too when my husband is out of town (he's not a pancakes for dinner guy...).

    ReplyDelete

Your comments make our hearts sing!