I love waking up about half an hour early on Wednesdays to make pancakes for breakfast. They really take very little time to throw together, and they make a world of difference to my day. I can’t save my pancakes only for special weekend breakfasts. Sometimes (every Wednesday) I need that weekend indulgence before I throw on the chef’s coat and dive into the big kitchen.
Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes are surprisingly light, healthy, and keep me full well into the afternoon. Drizzled with homemade Vanilla-Brown Sugar Syrup and served with a side of fresh fruit, I can indulge in the comforts of a lazy Sunday morning, even on a daunting weekday.
Treat yourself to pancakes on a weekday. The sunshine and hearty breakfast are well worth the early alarm chime.
Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes with Vanilla-Brown Sugar Syrup
adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus additional for brushing the skillet
1 1/2 cup whole milk, plus additional if needed
1 ripe banana, diced or mashed
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl Whisk together yolks, oil and 1 1/2 cups milk in another bowl and add to the flour mixture, whisking until smooth. Let batter stand for 5 minutes to allow flour to absorb liquid (batter will thicken).
If batter is too thick to fall easily from a spoon, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons additional milk.
Fold in banana and walnuts.
Beat egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer at moderately high speed until they just hold stiff peaks. With a whisk, gently but thoroughly fold into batter.
Brush a griddle or 12-inch nonstick skillet with oil and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Reduce heat to moderate. Working in batches of 4, spoon 2 tablespoons batter per pancake into a hot skillet, spreading it if necessary to form 3- 3 1/2 inch rounds. Cook pancakes until bubbles appear on surface, edges are set and undersides are golden, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Flip pancakes with a metal spatula and cook until undersides are golden and pancakes are cooked through. Lower heat if pancakes brown too quickly and insides aren’t set. Transfer pancakes to plate and serve with Vanilla- Brown Sugar Syrup. Brush griddle with more oil between batches.
Vanilla-Brown Sugar Syrup
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups water
3 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine brown sugar, water, butter, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a oil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil until syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and vanilla, then let cool to warm or room temperature.
Kimiyo
I just made (and completely polished off) these this morning! AMAZING! Pure perfection!
Kate
These are so good!! These pancakes are the first recipe I’ve tried but I’ve collected a few that are waiting their turn. I’ve been making major changes to be healthy and these are so perfect without sacrificing yummy-ness! Thanks for sharing :)
Hanna
Made these tonight for dinner, yum! Plan to eat them for breakfast for the rest of the week, thanks for sharing!
Stacy
2 questions, could i use skim milk instead of whole, or even soy milk?? and in the syrup could i use light brown sugar. These look amazing i just never have whole milk or dark brown sugar on hand…
dorothy
i made these today but with whole wheat pastry flour, skim milk, omitted the oil and added some cinnamon and a few chocolate chips
the banana was WONDERFUL and made the pancakes so creamy! thanks for the great recipe :)
Melanie
These are THE BEST pancakes I have ever eaten in my entire life! No lie! They were the fluffiest and most delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Karen
Okay, I know most normal people would have cooked and eaten the entire batch all at once, but I had some leftover batter in the fridge from two days ago. Just finished the batch off tonight and they were delish. Off to buttermilk pancakes next!
Karen
Okay, just made the batch, but I am deviating a bit. The batter just went in the fridge for tomorrow’s breakfast. Less to do in the morning before work. Need a hearty breakfast. Thanks Joy!
Hannah
These were great even though I had to use skim milk.
Russ
Thank you – you made our day.
Stephanie
Wow these are FILLING. I ate two and a half silver dollar size pancakes and was groaning like I had eaten 5 lbs of them. The syrup was amazing and will never ever ever buy syrup again.
Patty
I made these for dinner tonight, (I’m far more inclined to make pancakes for dinner than breakfast!), and they were wonderful. True confession…I was too lazy to deal with the separated eggs, so I just plopped them in the milk and used my immersion blender to whip them into a frenzy. (Next time, I promise I’ll do it your way!) We really enjoyed the added texture from the cornmeal, and the syrup was beyond yummy…I almost poured some in a mug to drink straight up! Thanks for once again expanding our pancake horizons.
Aaron
Just made these today. They turned out delicious. I placed them in the oven for 350 after I took each batch off of the stove. The inside was chewy and moist and the outside was nice and crisp. I will be saving this for future consumption.