Banana Oat Weekday Pancakes

Weekday mornings are busy and rushed, and thinking about cooking pancakes is a big NO! But these banana oat pancakes require a bowl and a fork, and the batter is ready to be cooked and served with a topping of your choice. Super easy and a little healthy too!

Ingredients:

• 2 large, very ripe bananas (will yield 1 to 1 1/4 cups mashed)
• 3/4 cup (80 grams) quick-cooking oats
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup (95 grams) whole-wheat flour
• Milk, dairy or non-dairy, as needed (about 3 to 5 tablespoons)
• Butter or oil, to fry pancakes

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mash bananas well with a fork. Stir in oats and salt. From here, for softer oats, you can microwave this mixture for 30 seconds (just to warm it through) or let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature, but you can also skip this and keep the oat texture more intact. It works all of the above ways.
2. Use fork to stir in cinnamon and egg, then baking powder until thoroughly combined. Stir in flour, then add milk as needed to create a thick but not cookie-dough like batter.
3. Heat griddle or frying pan over medium-low. Once hot, add a good pat of butter or drizzle of oil, and add pancakes in 1/4-cup mounds. You can flatten them a bit if they're particularly thick. Cook until lightly browned underneath and bubbles appear in pancake surface, flip, and cook on the second side. Lower heat is better on these pancakes; they brown fast and cooking them more slowly ensures the centers are set when the edges are the right color. Repeat with remaining batter. Eat immediately.