Banana Coconut Pancakes with Quick Ginger Butterscotch Sauce

I wanted to make a nice Sunday breakfast with only two eggs and no milk- I also had a bag of frozen bananas that had been hanging on my conscience. As a result, this recipe evolved from whatever I had in the kitchen that might go well together.

I didn't have much flour left, but I didn't need a lot- just enough to bind the chunks of banana. I also had an abundance of coconut (it was on sale...), some rum, a bit of sour cream, and a lot of cinnamon. I thought that the somewhat tropical theme in my pantry was too good of a coincidence to not take advantage of.

Sure enough, the flavours all went together fantastically. The texture is also nice, light except for the dense banana chunks, and the coconut giving it a bit of meatiness and rich taste. Normally I'd make banana pancakes with walnuts or chocolate, but here the coconut added plenty enough flavour, along with the warm cinnamon and rum combo.

There's also this ultra-easy butterscotch sauce with ginger. I had a bit of butter and cream, as well as golden syrup, so I thought I'd let it cook while I was frying the pancakes- it makes a fantastic partner, carrying its own spicy notes and adding richness. You won't need extra butter- though it does taste very good paired with roasted almond butter.

One small issue with these types of pancakes is that they sometimes fry on the outside faster than they cook on the inside- that's why I keep the pan covered for the first half of their cooking time, so that before I flip them I can judge if they're sufficiently cooked inside.

Though they're small, these pancakes are nice and filling, and warm one up on a sadistically cold summer's morning (like today). I have plans to use the leftover sauce, along with some other overripe bananas and my coconut cinnamon evaporated milk buns, to make a fantastic and somewhat tropical bread pudding. Ah, efficiency.
Banana Coconut Pancakes
makes about 16 small pancakes

1 - 1 1/4 C. All purpose flour
1 TBSP Cornstarch
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
2 Tsp. Vanilla sugar, or 2 Tsp. sugar and 1 Tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 Tsp. Salt
2 1/4 Tsp. Baking powder
1/4 Tsp. Baking soda
1/2 C. Unsweetened desiccated coconut
2 Eggs
2 TBSP Dark rum
2 TBSP Sour cream
4 bananas, mushed up but still chunky (frozen and thawed works well)
Oil, to fry

Mix 1 C. of the flour, the cornstarch, cinnamon, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Sift into a large bowl and whisk in the coconut. Add the eggs, sour cream, rum and bananas. Add as much extra flour as needed to make a thick batter, about as thick as cupcake batter. If your bananas are not very mushy and wet, you may need to add some milk or water instead.

Heat up a large skillet, or your best pan for pancakes, on medium heat. Add some oil and spoon on as many pancakes as will comfortably fit with a 1/4 cup scoop or a large tablespoon. Cover with a lid and let cook about a minute per side, uncovered after flipping once.

Flip the finished pancakes onto a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil and moisture.

Keep warm in an 80℃ oven until all of the pancakes are done.

Quick Ginger Butterscotch Sauce
From Raspberri Cupcakes

30 g. Butter
1/2 C. Dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 C. 18% Cream (pouring cream)
3 TBSP Golden syrup (golden corn syrup will do in a pinch)
1 Tsp. Ginger
Pinch of salt

Mix all in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until thickened and smooth. Serve warm.