Banana Bread Pancakes

(sorry for the ugly unevenly colored pancakes...I was having some issues with our griddle)

Do you ever buy bananas only to find that oops - a few have gotten ripe before you've eaten them? No- just my family??

In an effort to not make banana bread (who has time for it to bake for an hour) I decided to make some pancakes. A few weeks ago, my mom found this easy pancake recipe that tastes fantastic!

Note: We had some leftovers and found that they reheated quite well the following morning.

Banana Bread Pancakes

2 cups pancake mix (I use low fat Bisquick)

1 1/3 cup water

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 ripe banana, mashed (I used two, since that's what I had)

walnuts, optional

Whisk together the pancake mix and water. Stir in the oatmeal and banana. Cook on griddle.

Dirty Monkey Cupcakes

One of Nate's favorite treats when we go on vacation are the "Dirty Monkeys". It's a frozen chocolate banana rum drink. Quite delicious, and something we NEVER make at home. In August's All You magazine I saw a recipe for Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting and thought they might be fun to make when we have ripe bananas.

Today Caroline and I felt like baking, so I told her about these "Dirty Monkey" cupcakes. She thought they sounded hilarious so she became my number one helper. They turned out pretty well. I think they're a little sweet, so I would cut the amount of sugar (not by half, but close) the next time I make them.

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Found in August All You magazine

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 stick butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins (we made 12 regular size and about 9 mini).

In a bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a mixer, beat butter and sugar for about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in banana, vanilla, and yogurt. Stir in flour until just combined. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until they test done. Let cool 15 minutes and then remove from pan. Let cool completely and then frost.

Chocolate Frosting:

4 oz chocolate chips

6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 tsp vanilla

Melt chocolate and let cool completely. In a mixer, beat butter and sugar until light (2-3 minutes). Beat in milk, vanilla and chocolate until smooth. Frost cupcakes.

Classic Banana Bundt Cake

Last week's TWD recipe was Classic Banana Bundt Cake. I was curious to see how this turned out - the banana bread recipe I use is fantastic, so I wanted to see how this measured up. Dorie didn't disappoint! The cake, which came out of the bundt pan easily, was very moist. It really reminded me of good banana bread. If I were to make this again I would add pecans for some texture, and maybe top it with a maple glaze.

Classic Banana Bundt Cake

from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

3 c flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, at room temperature

2 c sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

About 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups)

1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 to 10 inch (12 cup) bundt pan.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.

Working with a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at a medium speed until pale and frothy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the bananas. Finally, mix in about 1/2 the dry ingredients, all the sour cream, and then the rest of the flour. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, rap the pan on the counter to de-bubble and smooth the top.

Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Check the cake after 30 minutes - if it is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto a rack and cool to room temperature.