Lovin' From the Oven

Banana Almond Pancakes Topped with Nutella

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2012! How has your new year kicked off so far? I’m not one for new year resolutions, but how about more posts this year than last year? I can work with that.

I started this year with a fresh stack of flapjacks, so it only makes sense to share with you a pancake recipe. As always, I had browning bananas on the kitchen counter and had to find a use for them. Since I wasn’t planning on eating them soon, I tossed them into a pancake batter and slathered them with Nutella. These pancakes are great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or any meal in between! They turned out to be a little on the flatter side, but the taste was spot on. The recipe makes approximately 12 pancakes.

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Banana Almond Pancakes Topped with Nutella

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup almond meal
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • For the topping
  • 1 tablespoon nutella
  • half a banana, sliced
  • a pinch of sliced almonds

Directions

  1. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  2. Add the bananas, buttermilk, eggs, honey, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the dry mixture and stir until just moistened. A couple of clumps are okay!
  3. Scoop the batter by 1/3 cup onto a pan over medium heat. Once bubbles start to appear, carefully flip the pancake and let the other side cook for another minute or two.
  4. Spread your desired toppings on top of the pancakes and eat away!
https://lovintheoven.com/banana-almond-pancakes-topped-with-nutella/

P.S. Have you ever used this stuff? It’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever stumbled upon I hardly use buttermilk, so I end up throwing a lot of the fresh carton in the trash. It’s such a waste! With this, I can have buttermilk on hand at all times, without having to worry about an expiration date (well, right away, anyway).
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You just mix this powder with some water and voi-la! You’ve got some buttermilk for baking.

Chunky Monkey Smoothie

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I slice my ripe bananas prior to freezing them so they’re easier to handle.

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As usual, all my ingredients are from Trader Joe’s, including my 19 cent bananas.

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Throw all your ingredients in the blender and blend away.

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Aren’t these cups fancy? I adore glass cups that are made for coffee/hot drinks. You can never have enough glasses when you’re a food blogger. I got these at TJMaxx, where I spend nearly 3 hours on every trip. Ridiculous, I know… but when I shop, I make time to search and rummage through each pile for the best deals.

I thought I’d try something new and include a printable recipe with each post. I’m not sure how to include it for previous posts without going through each one separately, so for now it will just have to be for future posts. Does anyone know a way to make it so that I can add a print button to all of my recipes without being too strenuous?

This is a very simple smoothie with only five ingredients– all of which I’m sure you already have on hand. To make it really “Chunky Monkey,” I’d throw in a couple of walnuts next time to complete the flavor. In case you don’t know what Chunky Monkey is, it’s Ben & Jerry’s flavor of ice cream, as mentioned in my previous post here.

Chunky Monkey Smoothie
Click Here for a Printable Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 large frozen bananas, sliced
  • 1/2 cup plain vanilla yogurt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Instructions:

  1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Caramelized Pecan Banana Bread

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I think I’ve fully adjusted to living in the bay area. It took a month, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got a good chunk of it down.
–I love being able to walk from my apartment to go shopping, the post office, the grocery store, or grab dinner.
–The radio stations in my car are set to Nor Cal stations.
–I actually go out to bars here every once in a while because I love the crowd (not to drink, though. I’m pretty much a grandma. And by crowd, I mean my DB’s classmates).
–I bring a sweater or scarf with me everywhere because no matter how hot it looks outside, that breeze will kill you.

But the things I’ll never get used to?
–Calling the BART just plain ol’ BART.
–Worrying about parking everywhere I go.
–Seeing Giants gear everywhere instead of my dear Lakers.
–The word “hella.”
–My nearest Nordstrom Rack & Forever 21 are a half hour drive away from me.

I’m sure there’s plenty to add to both lists, but let’s talk about this banana bread.

This banana bread was delightful. The caramelized pecans really did add a sweeter crunch to the bread. In retrospect, I probably should have added some kind of streusel on top. Banana bread is just ten times better with a topping. The bread was sweet without being overly sweet, heavy without being too dense, and about as moist as can be. I’d recommend adding a touch of cinnamon next time I make these. From What Katie’s Baking.

  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups AP flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt

For the Caramelized Pecans:

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 cup pecan halves
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two medium loaf pans or one large loaf pan.
  2. For the caramelized pecans: Melt the tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the sugar, pecans, and cinnamon, and mix until evenly coated. Set aside and let cool.
  3. For the banana bread: Mix together the sugar and butter. Add eggs and stir. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla, beating until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Add in the nuts. Pour into prepared pans.
  4. Bake smaller loaves for about 1 hour, large loaf about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

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