Oat and Banana Pancakes with Chocolate Chips

Oat and Banana Pancakes with Chocolate Chips

I’ve got to admit we’ve already celebrated Valentine’s Day in our house. Since the holiday falls on a busy weeknight, we decided to move our celebration to the weekend. It was nice to not have to cram it in between our weekly commitments. Instead we bookended our festivities with a bunch of lazy family time. Before we had Scarlett, Dan and I never made a big fuss over Valentine’s. I didn’t cared if he spent weeks planning the perfect night and he was happy to not have the pressure. However, I’ve got to admit, we kind of like doing it up for Scarlett. Like most holidays, she’s re-energized our enthusiasm for it. We keep it really simple though–homemade cards, fancy homemade dinner and treats. That’s the simple part. The rest of her world associated with this holiday is mind-numbing. It nearly breaks my spirit to have to churn out all those school Valentine’s. Then I have to deal with the sweets she collects from the school shindig. By deal, I mean try to keep myself from eating them in the dead of the night. (A note to the parents in Scarlett’s class: Please DON’T tape a mini box of M&M’s or Kit Kat on any of  your children’s Valentines!)

When I told Scarlett we were celebrating the holiday on SPC by picking our favourite food, she informed me we’d be making pancakes with chocolate in them. She does have a point. If we’re going to shove chocolate into something for Cupid’s big day it may as well be pancakes. We also might as well flip some fruit and oats in. They’re in the cupboard. Why not?

Photo By Maya Visynei
Oat and Banana Pancakes with Chocolate Chips

Ingredients

  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup spelt flour
  • 1/4 packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chocolate shavings
  • 4 tablespoons butter

Method

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder as well as cinnamon and whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, yogurt and vanilla.

Combine yogurt mixture with dry ingredients and then fold in bananas.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Pour 1/4 cup batter into pan, working batches.

Cook pancakes until bubbles appear on top and the underside is golden brown then flip and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.

Add another tablespoon of butter to pan between batches and work until batter is finished.

Keep cooked pancakes in a warm oven. Serve with warm maple syrup, agave or honey.

When Scarlett was little I used to cut a lot of her food into shapes. As a result, I have a lot of cookie cutters. I broke into my stash and found a few hearts and these great “X” and “O” cutters. I think they’ll make Valentine’s day extra sweet. Although, nothing is as sweet as my two best Valentines!

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