Best Pancake Recipe I Have! Banana Cornmeal Pancakes

Beautiful here today!

It is a brunch kind of a day....pancake and bacon for a snowy Central Ohio day! I've been making these pancakes for 20 years! I haven't found a recipe that is better, and my kids love them.

 We have the best variety of birds here! All I put out is Black Oil Sunflower seeds in my bird feeder and a variety of suet cakes in a wire feeder. We have several varieties of woodpeckers: flickers, downey and red-bellied...lots of cardinals, blue birds, blue jays, doves and finches, nuthatches, junkos, black capped chickadees, Carolina wrens, house wrens, and more...

Banana Cornmeal Pancakes
1 C of all-purpose flour
1/2 C yellow cornmeal
1 C of old fashioned oats, place in food processor on high until finely ground
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 to 2 1/4 C low-fat buttermilk (start with 2 C if too thick add a little more, batter consistency should pour but not be thin)
1 ripe banana (see below...I always keep bananas in my freezer, if frozen thaw)
1 Tbsp honey
1 large egg
Optional add ins:
1/2 C chocolate chips (my favorite)
1/2 C chopped pecans (Alan's favorite)
1 C blueberries (I like to toss these on each pancake right after batter added to skillet)
1/2 C shredded coconut
Anything you like really!  BE creative.

First add oats to your food processor and process until finely ground.  Add to a large bowl with flour, cornmeal, baking soad, and salt.  No need to clean processor bowl, just add banana, honey, and egg to food processor, pulse a few times, then add 2 C of buttermilk (can use regular milk, but buttermilk is fabulous) and process until smooth.

Pour liquid into dry ingredients and don't over beat or you'll have tough pancakes, just combine.

Heat cast iron skillet on medium-high heat, then reduce to medium for cooking (make sure pan is hot before you start). Using about 1/4 C of batter (use a 1/4 C or an ice cream scoop) ladle batter into a hot cast iron skillet with oil (coconut is my preferred but canola or corn is fine).  When the tops are bubbling, flip and cook just a minute on side 2.

Don't throw away bananas!  As they get too many black spots for your families liking...just toss the entire banana into the freezer.  They keep, although they turn dark (sometimes even completely black, but they are fine!) I thaw them for 30 seconds in the microwave or just toss them in a bowl of cold water and they thaw quickly!  Perfect for pancakes, banana breads/muffins, yogurt smoothies and more!

Danish Dough Whisk! I first saw this on a PBS cooking show...Best whisk for quick breads....love this!  I have had this over 20 years.

Danish Dough Whisk from King Arthur Flour Company