Chocolate chip pancakes gone bananas

By Riya Khatod, Staff Writer

A staple in my diet for the past 10 years has been my dad’s infamous banana chocolate chip pancakes. My family’s Saturday morning pancake tradition began merely as a Trader Joes box mix, a carton of milk, a couple eggs and some butter, but throughout the years, my dad has tweaked his recipe to perfection. It now marries both tart and sweet flavors to create the ultimate morning treat for everyone to enjoy. Taking one bite will evoke the nostalgic and childlike feeling of waking up to the sweet smell of pancakes being cooked in the kitchen. One image that I can vividly recall while eating these is sprinting down the hall to find my dad wearing his Berkeley apron, pouring batter onto the skillet while attempting to sing some random song that he clearly did not know the lyrics to. Hopefully, making this delicious treat will create some great memories for you and your family to share as well!

Ingredients

1. 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
2. 2 tablespoons brown sugar (packed)
3. 1 tablespoon baking powder
4. ½ teaspoon salt
5. ¼ teaspoon apple pie spice
6. 1 cup buttermilk
7. 2 large eggs
8. 2 tablespoons melted butter 
9. 2 very ripe bananas
10. As many chocolate chips as you desire

Instructions

1. Whisk flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and apple pie spice in a large bowl.
2. Add your buttermilk, egg and melted butter to the large bowl and mix until fully combined.
3. Slice your bananas, adding them into the large bowl and mix until well combined.
4. Toss in handfuls of chocolate chips and fold into the batter.
5. Heat a large skillet and apply a pad of butter.
6. Pour ½ a cup of batter onto the skillet.
7. Cook on low heat for three minutes or until they are golden brown on the bottom, then flip and watch the pancake rise for another three minutes.
8. Serve with maple syrup and enjoy!

This uncommon, but delicious combination of bananas and chocolate is sure to be a great way to start your morning and keep you nourished through your morning classes.

Featured art by Sam Kohn, Editor-in-Chief