Banana Almond Pancakes

Banana Almond Pancakes

· 2 large ripe bananas

· 1 teaspoon lemon juice

· 1 cup buttermilk

· 1 egg

· 2 tablespoons melted butter, plus extra for the griddle

· ½ teaspoon vanilla

· ½ teaspoon almond extract

· ¾ cup whole wheat flour

· ¾ cup all-purpose flour

· ¼ cup light brown sugar

· 1 teaspoon cinnamon

· ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

· 1 teaspoon baking soda

· ½ teaspoon kosher salt

· ¼ cup raw unsalted or lightly salted almonds, lightly toasted and chopped

· pure maple syrup

· mini cookie cutters, any shape

Baker’s Note: I used a 2 ½ inch round biscuit cutter to trim the edges off the pancakes after cooking them; this step is optional, but does make them look pretty and uniform. I also used a heart cookie cutter to cut the center out of a few cooked pancakes to decorate the plate.

Peel the bananas and slice into ¼ inch slices. Use a mini heart cookie cutter (or flower, star, etc.) to cut a heart out of the center of each slice, saving the leftover banana slices. Place the banana hearts in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice to keep them from browning.

In a blender, blend the leftover banana slices, buttermilk, egg, melted butter, vanilla and almond extract until smooth. Add both flours, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt and blend for 30 seconds.

Heat a griddle to 275. Melt a little butter on the griddle and use a ¼ measuring cup to measure out the batter, cooking the pancakes in batches. Keep the pancakes warm in a 250 degree oven while you cook the rest of the pancakes.

Garnish with the banana hearts, almonds and syrup.

Yields about 16 pancakes (approximately 3 per serving)

Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen