Banana Pancake Bites

This one goes out to my buddy, Ben, who is just looking for something new, and whose mamma is looking for finger foods.

My sister-in-law used to make little, itty-bitty pancakes for her daughters. They were no more than the size of a dime, and you could probably fit 30 to 50 of them on a cast iron skillet. She used to call them Baby Cakes. Back then, I used to stare at these infinitesimal cakes, unable to bear the thought of standing in front of a pan flipping 50 doll-sized pancakes (I’m not coordinated enough to flip cakes that small), but they gave me a good idea.

Banana Pancake Bites are simply a thin slice of banana dipped in pancake batter then fried in a skillet. They look just like little pancakes, and as they cook, the banana almost melts into the batter creating a soft, moist banana- flavored pancake the perfect size for toddlers, and fun for big kids, too.

When I first tried this recipe, I used buttermilk, but it makes the batter too thick and the sides of the cake, coated in batter, were puffing up very high and not fully cooking. On the second go-round, I looked for and found a great pancake recipe on allrecipes.com that used soured milk, which is simply milk with a bit of white vinegar added to it. It does not make the pancakes taste sour. Thanks to kris on allrecipes.com for sharing this recipe, which is slightly thinner, allowing the batter to spread a bit more in the pan, enabling the cake to fully cook around the banana slice.

Baby's Age: 1 year and up

Consistency: small pieces

Banana Pancake Bites

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 egg, beaten (sorry – 1 egg was too much, but this recipe can be doubled)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
dash of cinnamon (optional)
1 large, ripe, peeled banana
cooking spray

1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".

2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (if using) in a small mixing bowl.

3. Whisk egg and melted butter into the "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone. The mixture will thicken and bubble as it sits. Don’t stir it; the bubbles are a good thing. The mixture will appear too thick, but it will thin and spread a bit when heated in the pan.

4. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Thinly slice banana and dip half the slices into the batter using either your fingers or two forks. Transfer coated banana slices to skillet, leaving enough room between the slices for the batter to spread a bit. Cook until cakes are bubbly on the edges and slightly bubbly on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

5. Repeat with remaining slices.

If your toddler or child is old enough not to make a huge mess, serve with maple syrup on the side for dipping. Leftover slices can be placed on a cookie sheet and frozen, then transferred to a Ziplock freezer baggie for storage. Simply reheat in the microwave.

The pancake batter makes one bananas-worth of cakes. It can easily be doubled to make pancakes for the whole family.