Banana Bread Pancakes

Banana Bread. Pancakes. Two of my favorite things. Put them together, and you've made me one very happy person. You've also made Shannon a happy person. And you've made my house small like banana bread which makes everyone who visits a happy person. All in all, you just can't go wrong. Really. You can't.

Did I fail to mention that this recipe feeds a small army of guests? It made a solid 18 pancakes which, given my estimate of three per person, serves a whopping six people. If you have bigger eaters in your house, you may not feel as if this makes as ridiculous a stack of pancakes, but I was surely impressed.

Banana Bread Pancakes
Inspired by my favorite Oatmeal Banana Bread Recipe and Joy the Baker's Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes
Serves 6 (3 pancakes each)
Points 2 per pancake

1 egg
2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
2 tablespoons Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1 tablespoon Splenda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups skim milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, smashed
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

In a large bowl, beat the egg and the egg whites. Add milk, vanilla extract and mashed banana and mix well.

Add the flour, oats, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt to the wet ingredients. Give a good mix until the batter is mostly smooth with some chunks of banana still poking through. Add the pecans last and give 'em a good stir or two.

Heat a pan or griddle (how I long for a griddle) over medium heat. Using non-stick cooking spray, lightly coat the pan.

Pour 1/8 cup of batter onto the griddle. Cook until the bubbles that form in the batter begin to pop. Flip the pancake over and cook until golden brown.

As Joy recommends, heat the oven to 200 F and place your finished pancakes on an oven-proof plate until they're ready to serve. This is a great idea. I wish I would have thought of it myself. I didn't, though. This is why food bloggers are my favorites.

Now pile up your pancakes and enjoy them while they last. Afraid you'll have too many leftovers? These pancakes freeze really well, so don't be intimidated by the large number you make. Toss them in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag, and you can easily freeze them for two weeks or so. That is a lot of breakfast goodness.