Blackberry-Banana Pancakes

Every day is the perfect day for pancakes.

Especially when there’s bananas and fresh blackberries involved.

And butter. And syrup.

I recently caught up with some girlfriends over brunch at The Naked Cafe in Solana Beach. It was a gorgeous, sunny day overlooking the beach –definitely the perfect backdrop to a scrumptious meal.

I ended up ordering a bunch of random à la carte items but the most memorable dish were their buttermilk banana & blackberry pancakes. HOLY MOLY–they were the fluffiest things ever! And why have I never made this fruit combination before in a pancake?

The situation needed to be rectified….immediately! I turned to my tried and true Blueberry Pancakes recipe from Cooks Illustrated and did a little tweaking. An extra splash of vanilla extract here and some lemon zest there –heavenly!

And don’t hesitate to make a double batch! Pancakes freeze quite well –just place a piece of wax paper between each cake and throw them into resealable freezer bags. You can have a pile o’ pancakes whenever your heart desires.

Or your tummy.

But really, aren’t they the same thing? :)

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Blackberry-Banana Pancakes
Makes approximately 16 pancakes

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup fresh blackberries, sliced
2 cups sliced bananas
vegetable oil
Serve with butter, extra fruit, and maple syrup

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk milk, and melted butter. Stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk gently just until combined. The batter will be quite lumpy.

Heat about 1 teaspoon of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Once the oil starts shimmering, use paper towels to wipe the pan so only a thin, even coating of oil covers the bottom and sides. Use a ¼ cup measure to portion the batter and pour into the center of the pan. Top each pancake with a layer of blackberries and sliced bananas, gently pressing them into the batter. Cook on the first side until the edges are set and bubbles form on the surface, about 1-2 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook for 1-2 minutes on the second side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter, more oil to the pan if necessary. Serve pancakes with tabs of butter, additional fruit and maple syrup.

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated