Banana & Ricotta Pancakes with Honeycomb Syrup
I am not a big breakfast person. My “meal” of choice usually consists of a giant cup of freshly brewed coffee….fresh ground beans every morning brewed, please! Nevertheless, my children LOVE breakfast and needed something to fill their little bellies with yummy happiness.
This was not about another fried egg sandwich with cheese and bacon. Eggs over easy were not cutting it either. So, I intrepidly opened up the fridge and looked at what I had. Ricotta, egg whites, over-ripe bananas (which the kids swore they would eat before they went bad), and of course the flour and sugar staples. Understanding the science involved in fluffy, light pancakes, I dove in and created my first batch. Ok, so there was really only one batch! The CALL OF THE WILD came out of the kids and they wanted more…in fact, this is now a dinner favorite as well!
I have since picked up my pancake panash and made a modern, adult version. This Banana & Ricotta Pancake Recipe is so delicious as a brunch dish. The addition of Honeycomb Confection crumbles with candied walnuts and real maple syrup impresses even the fussiest friends. I have fallen in love with
Banana & Ricotta Pancakes
Equipment
- 2 Large Mixing Bowls
- Standing mixer
- Large mixing spoon
- Flat top grill or large saute pan
- Spatula
- 3 ounce scoop or ladle
Ingredients
- 3 each very ripe bananas plus more for garnish
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/8 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter or pan spray
- 1/2 cup candied walnuts for garnish
- as needed pure maple syrup
- as needed Honeycomb Candy Recipe crumbled
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer with whisk attachment, whisk 1/2 cup of the egg whites to soft peaks. Set aside. Keep the other 1/2 cup egg whites set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, completely mash bananas with a fork. Add ricotta cheese to bananas and mix well with mixing spoon. Add sugar and vanilla bean paste and mix well.
- In another bowl, combine flour and baking powder and mix well. Add to the banana mixture along with the 1/2 cup liquid egg whites and mix well. Gently fold in the whisked egg whites to the banana and flour mixture.
- Either on a flat top grill or large saute pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter (or if using pan spray). Add scoop of pancake mix to hot pan. Cook gently over medium heat for about 3 minutes per side. Inside should be full cooked, no raw batter. Continue cooking in batches until all batter is used. Makes roughly 12, 3 ounce pancakes.
- For added flavor, add sliced bananas between pancakes. Use the Honeycomb Candy recipe to create honeycomb crumbles on plate and on top of pancake stack. Finish with candied walnuts (optional) and pure maple syrup.
