In our house we like our bananas under-ripe. Not green and fuzzy on the tongue when you take a bite, mind you. More-so, we don’t like eating brown, spotty bananas. This picky behavior gives us about a four day window from grocery store shelf perfection to at home inedible (well, from a “peel and eat” standpoint anyway).

I’m not always in the mood for banana bread, or even muffins, the standard places to stuff over-ripe bananas. But pancakes? Ah, yes. Pancakes. Well, you guys know that’s a weekend favorite in our house.

Here’s another way to use up those brown, spotty, over-ripe bananas that (actually) are in their prime for cooking with.

Preheat a large skillet over heat that’s just a bit hotter than medium while you make the batter. Rub the pan with a little canola oil.

Add the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt to a medium mixing bowl and then give it a quick stir to combine. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup (my personal favorite), whisk together the egg, milk, vanilla and canola oil. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients, and whisk a few times until the mixture is just combined. Gently whisk in the bananas, about 5 turns should incorporate them – you don’t want to over whisk the batter.

Ladle the batter into the pan (about 1/4 cup each), and cook for 4 minutes or until bubbles form across the entire top of the pancake. Flip them, and continue cooking the pancakes for 2 more minutes. Turn the heat down to medium, and repeat the process with the rest of the batter.

Note: You might find that 3 minutes on the first side is plenty – it depends on your pan, and the type of burner you cook on. Often times after the first round, I reduce the heat and then only cook for 3 minutes on the first side. You’ll have to play with it a little.