Buckwheat Banana Pancakes

It's back to school time so this morning I made a mess of buckwheat pancakes. We had some fresh off the griddle and then set aside a platter full to freeze for the upcoming two weeks. You can make your own pancake mix but I prefer the buckwheat variety from Hodgson Mills (only three ingredients in it). In addition to sliced ripe bananas we also had pecans and semisweet chocolate. For the everyday pancakes I stuck with banana. But for a special Saturday morning treat we added pecans and semisweet chocolate. Topped with a little butter and confectioners sugar...well it was just divine! Not even sure the Pancake Pantry can top it, might come close but with fresh, local ingredients I think this one (dare I say) is better!?! These were devoured before my camera battery was charged so I only have one photo of the plain banana. I'm not a fan of sweet things for breakfast but by only using a little chocolate and a light dusting of sugar, they were not that sweet! Here is my recipe (slightly altered from the box).

Pink Sugar Bowl Banana Pancakes
3 ripe bananas, sliced
3 cups pancake mix
1 cup Hatcher Dairy Buttermilk
1 1/4 cup Hatcher Whole Milk
2 large eggs, local free range
3 Tbls unsweetened applesauce

If you don't already do this crack your eggs into a separate bowl first. Everyone should do this but it's a must with fresh farm eggs. You want to make sure the egg is good before adding to your mix. If the egg smells, has a blood spot or anything else that just doesn't look right, toss it. Lightly whisk the two eggs.

In a larger bowl measure out three level cups of pancake mix. Add the milk, eggs and applesauce. Mix well with wire whisk. On a hot (350 degree) griddle add 1 - 2 Tbls coconut oil. Using a quarter cup measuring scoop pour full cup onto hot griddle. Add banana slices. Top slices with a little more pancake mix. When sides are puffed and brown, flip. Top with real maple syrup. (The reason I top my bananas with more batter is to keep my griddle clean. The most heavenly way to cook these is to leave slices exposed and they will caramelize on the hot griddle, YUM!).

For the desert version top batter with banana slices, chopped pecans and semisweet chocolate chips (EnjoyLife and Olive & Sinclair are the best tasting!). Top with butter and dust with confectioners sugar!