Chocolate Chip-Buckwheat-Banana Pancakes
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 2 to 4 servings (makes 6 small pancakes)
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- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 193
- Total Fat
- 7
- Saturated Fat
- 4
- Carbohydrates
- 31
- Dietary Fiber
- 3
- Sugar
- 14
- Protein
- 4
- Cholesterol
- 6
- Sodium
- 229
- Total: 20 min
- Active: 20 min
Ingredients
1 ripe banana
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 milliliters) whole milk or almond milk
1/2 cup (70 grams) buckwheat flour
1/2 cup (50 grams) quick-cooking or plain rolled oats (not thick)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Unsalted butter or coconut oil
Scant 1/2 cup (about 80 grams) bittersweet chocolate chips
Fresh fruit, honey, pure maple syrup, or powdered sugar, for serving
Directions
- Smash the banana with a fork into a smooth pulp (don't be tempted to add the other wet ingredients before this is done). Add the vanilla and milk and mash together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir gently, being careful not to overmix; you want to keep these pancakes light and airy. Too much stirring will make them gummy and dense.
- Heat a cast-iron griddle or skillet over medium heat until evenly warm. Add a bit of butter to coat the surface. When the butter sizzles, drop a scant 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) of batter onto the skillet in batches, leaving 2 inches (5 centimeters) between the pancakes. (Don't make your pancakes big; they are tender because there's no egg to bind the batter.) Cook until just starting to bubble around the edges. Dot the pancakes with chocolate chips, then flip (they should release easily from the griddle).
- Cook on the second side until just done, usually a minute or two (if the pancake stays on the heat too long, the chocolate will scorch), turning the heat to low if needed. Repeat until all the batter is used. Serve warm with butter and your favorite toppings.
Cook’s Note
Get-Ahead: Combine all the wet ingredients, and all the dry ingredients, and store separately in the refrigerator overnight. Stir the wet and dry together in the morning while you preheat the griddle. Double Up: I always make two batches of these, but they are most tender when I mix up one batch at a time, start cooking them, then repeat, so I've given you a single batch here. Buckwheat Flour: Chances are your regular grocery store will only carry one kind of buckwheat flour, and whatever kind you get will work, but flours from different brands yield slightly different results. If your buckwheat flour seems coarse, and flecked with dark gray bits, you'll get slightly darker pancakes (it's what I prefer). Buckwheat flour can also be labeled light, which is finer, a subtle gray color, and yields a more delicate pancake. It can also lend an odd greenish hue, but they still taste delicious. My family never complains.