I have another gluten-free, dairy-free recipe for you today…banana oat pancakes! There are a million blog posts out there sharing what is essentially this recipe, but I wasn’t loving any one version in particular. So, I ended up coming up with my own particular formula for this recipe. After a bit of tinkering I think the recipe is ready for public consumption! These banana oat pancakes are thick with great flavor and texture, almost like banana bread in pancake form. 

There were a few reasons I was not loving the banana oat pancake recipes out there. First, a lot of them use a blender, in which case the recipes calls for a measurement of rolled oats. I would rather have a recipe that lists a measurement for oat flour and skip the blender (at least at the time of making the pancakes…I do in fact use my blender to make my oat flour, but that’s another story for another blog post). I’m all about dirtying as few dishes as possible, so having to use the blender when wanting to throw together a quick batch of pancakes is annoying to me. Difference #1 from most other recipes: my recipe calls for oat flour and no blender.

Second, most of the recipes had no fat source. I feel like a quick bread needs some sort of fat incorporated into the recipe to work to its best ability. I used coconut oil, but you could also use butter (if you don’t need to skip dairy). 

Third, another feature that other recipes brag about is that they only has 3 ingredients! Two ingredients! No ingredients! 😉 With this recipe the additional ingredients are items you already have in your cupboard (salt, baking powder, etc) and I think they totally make the pancakes better. So, I’m resisting the urge to cut down the number of ingredients just so I can say “only 3 ingredients.” When the ingredients are something you have around, go ahead and use them! The recipe is still simple and tastes better with a little extra love.

If you are looking for a recipe that uses a blender or less ingredients, definitely go ahead and Google banana oat pancakes. My recipe below, however, is my favorite version of banana oat pancakes. Enjoy!

Banana Oat Pancakes (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

 

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Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted (you can use butter instead if you aren't worried about dairy)
• 1 average-sized banana
• 1 egg
• ½ cup milk of your choice (I use oat milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1¼ cup oat flour

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, melt the coconut oil (or butter if that's what you're using) in the microwave (takes about 20 seconds). If you are using coconut oil and it's already in liquid form, skip the melting step.
2. Add the banana to the bowl and carefully mash the banana into the oil with a fork, taking care not to splash the oil all over your nice shirt! 😉
3. Add the egg, milk, vanilla and salt and mix really well with the fork.
4. If you don't mind getting a small bowl a little bit dirty, whisk together the baking powder and oat flour and then add that to the wet ingredients. This will ensure the most even distribution of ingredients. If you really want to keep this to one bowl, add the baking powder and whisk it in well, making sure to stir until you don't see anymore little baking powder lumps, then stir in the oat flour and mix well.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once the pan has been heating for 3-5 minutes, pour batter onto ban to form pancakes. I use my large cookie scoop, which makes 4-inch pancakes. The batter will thicken as it sits – if by the time you are pouring the batter onto the pan it is quite thick, don't be afraid to use your scoop/spoon/ladle to press the pancake batter out so the pancakes are not too thick.
6. Let the pancakes cook on the first side until the edges start to look dry and you have a few popped bubbles starting to form on the top. (There won't be as many of these bubbles as with a normal pancake recipe, but there will be a few.)
7. Flip the pancakes and immediately press them down to flatten them out a bit. The pancakes have no problem getting nice and thick, but you want to make sure they cook through, so forcing them to be a little less thick is a-okay. Cook until the second side is nicely browned.
8. Serve with your favorite pancake toppings!

Notes

Makes 8 4-inch pancakes

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My oldest daughter Cate got braces last week. She’s been a real trooper and it’s gone better than expected. But she is mourning the fact she can’t eat things like Kettle Brand Salt & Pepper Krinkle Chips for almost two years! (Seriously, though, she’s right. That sucks.) Cate usually eats wheat toast for breakfast and even that has been bothering her a bit. So this week I made my Grandma Blomquist’s homemade bread to cheer her up. My strategy worked.

This morning as I was dragging myself to the kitchen to get breakfast and lunches made, I remembered that Cate loves milk toast, which is basically toast soaked in milk. It’s a super old-school recipe and pretty much no one even knows what it is, but milk toast is delicious. And, despite being half asleep, I had a major LIGHTBULB! moment. Milk toast is the perfect breakfast for someone who just got braces, especially when that someone already loves milk toast. So I grabbed my homemade bread, made Cate milk toast and was declared the best mom ever.

The first time I made milk toast it was essentially because I was intrigued by the idea of this recipe, but I was not so sure that it would actually taste good. I had only heard people talk about it in a nostalgic way. Let’s be honest, nostalgic recipes can be hit or miss. I dove in anyway and am so glad I did because milk toast is AWESOME. It is mighty delicious and all my kids love it. I created a sweet milk toast recipe (as opposed to savory) and it’s a lot like eating bread pudding for breakfast. You can’t go wrong with that, amiright?

So, try this recipe. And then next time someone describes something as “milk toast” in a demeaning way, stand up for milk toast. Be sure to let that person know that milk toast is actually awesome. And send them this recipe. Everyone will thank me.

Milk Toast

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

I researched several different recipes for milk toast and landed on this version of my own, which is a sweet milk toast (not savory).

Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 slices bread (preferably white and homemade!)
• ½ cup milk (divided into 6 tablespoons and 2 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon butter
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon flour
• pinch salt
• butter for toast
• honey or cinnamon sugar for toast

Instructions

1. In a cereal bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the milk with the flour, vanilla and salt. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, whisk together the rest of the milk (6 tablespoons), sugar and the 1 teaspoon butter. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring regularly to avoid scorching. Cook until milk is steaming a lot and about to simmer. Give the cold milk-flour mixture a quick whisk then whisk it into the milk on the stove. Cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Toast bread, butter then cover with cinnamon sugar or drizzle with honey. Cut bread into bite-sized pieces then place in cereal bowl you used earlier. Pour milk mixture over the toast, stir and let sit for about 30 seconds, pressing the pieces of bread and stirring to get the toast to absorb the milk.
4. Eat!

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Back in the day I wanted to make pumpkin pancakes. I tried several homemade recipes and a few pumpkin pancake mixes. The results were never good. Either the pancakes came out slimy and gooey, or they were super flat. Then my daughter’s preschool made pumpkin pancakes that were fantastic. Good flavor and texture plus the recipe was EASY.

So, I posted the recipe. It was ages ago, and I’ve since decided that I need to do an update on that recipe. You see, the original version I posted uses Krusteaz buttermilk pancake mix. And while Bisquick mix worked pretty well for that recipe, those two pancakes mixes are actually pretty different, so it wasn’t ideal for Bisquick. I recently came up with a modified version using Bisquick and that is what I am sharing today!

Yep, both pumpkin pancake recipes use pancake mix. I am a “from scratch” pancake maker, but when it comes to pumpkin pancakes, pancake mix is where it’s at. The results are just so much better than every other way I’ve tried.

Now Bisquick lovers everywhere can make the famed preschool pumpkin pancakes, too. Equal opportunity pumpkin pancakes FTW!

Click here to get the recipe for the Pumpkin Maple Syrup pictured above.

Pumpkin Pancakes

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

These pumpkin pancakes are fluffy, delicious and easy to throw together! Be sure to use Bisquick pancake mix. Click here for the Krusteaz version.

Author: Jane Maynard

Ingredients

• 2 cups Bisquick pancake mix
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

1. In a medium/large bowl, whisk all the ingredients until just blended (batter should have lumps).
2. Spray heavy griddle or skillet with nonstick spray and heat griddle over medium heat. Spoon 2 tablespoon (I did ¼ cup) batter unto griddle to form each pancake. Cook until edges are drying and bubbles start to pop, turn and cook a few minutes longer.
3. Serve with lots of butter and maple syrup!

Notes

This recipe makes enough for about 4 people.

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When I posted a recipe for pumpkin pancakes many years ago, one of my lovely readers Brittany commented and shared a recipe for pumpkin maple syrup. Several other people mentioned in the comments that they made the syrup and loved it. That syrup has been on my mind ever since and I finally gave it a try last week!

Brittany’s version (click here and check out comment #3) is more pumpkiny and a little thicker, mine is more mapley and a little thinner (although still thicker than straight-up maple syrup). I served pumpkin maple syrup atop pumpkin pancakes, which was delicious! But I think this syrup would be equally as good (if not better!) served with regular pancakes. It is SCRUMPTIOUS STUFF, this syrup. Mmmmmmmm…

Pumpkin Maple Syrup

 

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Prep time

2 mins

Total time

2 mins

 

Author: Jane Maynard

Ingredients

• ¾ cup pure maple syrup
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Simply whisk all the ingredients together!
2. Serve with pancakes, waffles or whatever your pumpkin-loving heart wants!

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Today I bring you the best English muffin you will ever eat. Seriously. You owe me. I mentioned this English muffin trick on Facebook once, but it is sooooo delicious I have decided it deserves an entire blog post.

Have you ever read Ree’s post on cooking cinnamon toast the right way? It’s pretty great. Hop on over and check it out if you haven’t. (For the record, I regularly employ Approach #3, a.k.a. Approach #Gross, because I am always strapped for time and my kids never complain. That said, when I give myself 10 minutes for the cook time, the “right” way is tremendously more delicious.)

I recently applied Ree’s technique to English muffins and, well, it was DIVINE. (Thanks for the inspiration, Ree!) We were transported to toast heaven on the spot. As great as Ree’s cinnamon toast is, I would bet money these cinnamon sugar English muffins are better.

You’re welcome.

Cinnamon Sugar English Muffins

 

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Prep time

3 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

As inspired by Ree Drummond's technique for making perfect cinnamon toast. There are no measurements because you can easily wing it - promise!

Author: Jane Maynard

Ingredients

• English muffins
• Butter, softened to room temp
• Cinnamon Sugar (click here for recipe if you need it)
• Vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350º F.
2. Option 1: Mix together softened butter with cinnamon sugar and a splash of vanilla extract. Spread a generous layer over the cut side of an English muffin, making sure to spread the butter mixture all the way to the edges. (The advantage of Option 1 is you get vanilla flavor added into the mix.)
3. Option 2: Spread a generous layer of softened butter on the cut side of an English muffin, then sprinkle heavily with cinnamon sugar, then press down with your fingers or a knife to incorporate the cinnamon sugar with the butter. (The advantage of Option 2 is that it's a wee bit easier and faster and still just as delicious.)
4. Place English muffin on a piece of foil or a cookie sheet (I would line the cookie sheet with foil to make clean up easier).
5. Bake for 10 minutes then finish off under the broiler for about 2 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven or toaster oven, let sit a couple minutes then eat! Seriously, let it cool down for a bit as the English muffin is literally covered in bubbly molten cinnamon sugar lava. Also, these are beyond buttery. You've been warned.

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Remember my pretty blueberries from last week’s menu post? I’m finally sharing the recipe for what I used them in! It’s a family recipe, complete with a newspaper clipping from the 80s. Total awesomeness.

The recipe is for whole wheat blueberry muffins. They are soooo good and completely addictive, which isn’t too terrible since the muffins use all whole wheat flour and are filled with healthy blueberries. (Sugar? What sugar?)

It may be a family recipe, but it’s not actually from my family. A few years ago my friend Anna had made some delicious blueberry muffins, of which I ate an embarrassing amount. I started gushing about the muffins and she told me how her mom had a won a contest with the recipe when Anna was a kid. Their family even ended up getting their photo in the local newspaper with a short article about her mom and the recipe. Anna is awesome and of course had a scan of the article and happily shared it with me, knowing full well I would publish her adorable 7-year-old face on my blog. I am such a sucker for recipes from old newspapers or handwritten on recipe cards. They just make me happy, especially when they are as delicious as this one.

So, we all owe Anna’s mom Pamela Worthen a great big thank you for this recipe. Thank you, Pamela!

(>> Find out more…)

I’m kind of in love with French toast. And I think the love might be genetic because Cate is equally obsessed with it, too. Which is why it’s surprising that with this deep abiding devotion, I’ve never made stuffed French toast before. Crispy French toast? Check. Baked French toast? Check again. Begging for delicious French toast recipes from all of you? Triple check! But for some reason I’ve never ventured into the world of stuffed French toast…until now.

A few months ago we met my sister in Dana Point for breakfast. I ordered cream cheese-stuffed French toast because, well, who wouldn’t? And, in all honesty, I was supremely disappointed with what came to the table. I was expecting a cream cheese filling but got slabs of straight-up cream cheese. I was expecting magically stuffed bread but got two slices of French toast lying on top of each other with the aforementioned cream cheese just sitting in the middle. The dish did not at all live up to my expectations. This weekend I finally decided to make what I had envisioned a reality. (Yes, I have French toast visions. I told you it was serious.)

My homemade version was everything I imagined the restaurant version should have been. The right amount of sweet, the right amount of gooey, the right amount of cheesy. Nate really liked it, which is saying something because he does not in fact love French toast the way I do. (Never has the case of “opposites attract” been more true than with Nate and I!) Cate of course loved the stuffed French toast just as much as I did.

This stuffed French toast recipe was inspired by the Banana Cream Cheese Pie from the Dodo in Salt Lake City. Side note: I have been trying to recreate that pie at home but I’m finding it’s nearly impossible. I know some of you have been waiting for that recipe to appear on the blog but it may never happen, which is tragedy of epic proportions. While I may not be able to get the pie perfected, at least I can enjoy it in breakfast form!

I had leftover cream cheese frosting from when we made the chocolate heart sandwich cookies last week. I just used that for the filling and it was perfect! You could also simply let cream cheese soften to room temperature and mix in a bit of powdered sugar, vanilla extract and, if needed, a bit of milk to make it easier to mix up. Just add sugar to taste. You don’t want it to be too sugary, but you also want some sweetness involved.

(>> Find out more…)

Have I convinced you yet to make cornflake or crispy crunch? If not, maybe today’s post will tip the balance!

Years ago I stayed at the Parker Palm Springs, a Jonathan Adler paradise with very delicious food and beautiful grounds. For breakfast one morning I ordered French toast that was coated in…wait for it…I bet you can’t guess…or maybe you can…crisped rice! That French toast was SO GOOD. Okay, so I think you can figure out the rest of this story…when Cora started telling me about cornflake crunch in the Milk Bar cookies, visions of crispy French toast danced in my head.

This week we tried making French toast with both the crispy crunch and the cornflake crunch. The crispy crunch was good, but I LOVED the French toast with cornflake crunch coating. It had a great crisp texture and was very tasty!

So, that’s all I’ve got so far for the cornflake and crispy crunch…but I’m sure I’ll think of more ways to use it! And if you think of other ways too, please share!

Crispy French Toast

 

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From Jane Maynard, This Week for Dinner

Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Breakfast

Ingredients

• Sliced bread of your choosing (French, brioche, whatever!)
• Eggs whisked with about 1 tablespoon of milk per 2 eggs or so (2-3 slices of bread per egg)
• Cornflake crunch (you can use crispy crunch, too, but I liked cornflake better)
• Butter

Instructions

1. Dip bread slices in whisked egg. Dip in cornflake crunch to coat both sides. Dip bread AGAIN in the egg – some of the crunch will fall off, but that’s okay, most of it will stay on and you can just sort of pat it back in place.
2. Cook in a buttered pan over medium-low to medium heat until both sides are browned.
3. Delicious coated in butter and pure maple syrup!

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You can trust today’s recipe for two reasons. #1: My friend Amy made these muffins and shared the recipe with me. Amy is an amazing cook. Amy knows good food. Amy always finds the best recipes. #2: It’s an Ina Garten recipe.

I haven’t made this recipe myself yet, so I don’t have much to say except that it is DELICIOUS. These muffins were SO GOOD I just had to photograph them (thanks for being my hand model, Ana – J.P. Prewett would be proud) and share the recipe with you.

I’m trying not to think about how many of these muffins I ate. It was like I lost all self-control. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Banana Granola Coconut Muffins

 

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My friend Amy, who is a fabulous cook, adapted this recipe from Ina Garten's Banana Crunch Muffin recipe. They are fabulous. 'Nuf said.

Author: Adapted from Ina Garten

Serves: 18

Ingredients

• - 3 cups all-purpose flour
• - 2 cups sugar
• - 2 teaspoons baking powder
• - 1 teaspoon baking soda
• - ½ teaspoon salt
• - ½ pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• - 2 extra-large eggs
• - ¾ cup whole milk
• - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• - 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (~2 bananas)
• - 1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (~1 banana)
• - 1 cup granola
• - 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners.
3. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don’t overmix.
4. Fold the diced bananas, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each 1 to the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Notes

Jane note: I ate these muffins fresh out of the oven and then later on after they’d cooled. WAY BETTER fresh out of the oven. If you are able to resist eating the whole batch when they have just finished cooking, be sure to heat up the leftovers in a toaster oven at 200 degrees for 5-10 minutes. It will be worth it, trust me.

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The week is almost over and I am happy to report that the Silk milk challenge was a success! I was able to use Pure Almond Vanilla and Soy Vanilla Light in place of regular milk with no problem. In fact, the challenge has opened up the world of “alternative milk” possibilities to me and I am looking forward to trying other flavors, especially more nut milks and rice milk!

I knew during the challenge I needed to try baking something that I normally use milk in. We make waffles and pancakes all the time, so I definitely wanted to see how one of those recipes would work subbing out the milk. The Pure Almond Vanilla milk seemed like it would work well in terms of flavor so I gave it a try..

The waffles were delish! My friend Wendy sampled them with me and we both agreed they were great. I used the Pure Almond Vanilla because I thought the almond would make for a nice flavor in the waffles. The waffles cooked a little differently than normal and never got very brown, which surprised me. But the texture was great and Wendy and I both liked the subtle, not overpowering almond flavor of the waffles. I will definitely make them this way again and of course I’ll share the recipe with you below!

While I’m sure I’ll use cow’s milk again, especially when Owen is less sensitive to it, I am really happy to have discovered some alternatives. I really liked the Soy Vanilla Light and Pure Almond Vanilla that I used this week. Obviously these two milks are both sweetened and have a vanilla flavor. They worked well with my current needs, but I can see that they may not work with everything. As I mentioned before, after having tried these milks and really enjoying them, I’m excited to try other flavors and varieties based on different recipes and uses. And all of your suggestions over the week have been super helpful – thank you! I definitely count the week as a success and look forward to further expanding my milk horizons…

Fluffy Almond Milk Waffles

 

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Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 cups Silk Pure Almond Vanilla milk
• 2 eggs
• 4 Tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

1. Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter and Pure Almond Vanilla milk.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix.
4. Cook as you normally would in a waffle iron. Enjoy with lots of butter and syrup!

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OTHER RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE:

• Classic Waffles (light and fluffy)
• My New Favorite Waffle Recipe
• Swedish Pancakes

EQUIPMENT I USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:

• Cuisinart 4-Slice Belgian Waffle Maker
• OXO Good Grips Mixing Bowl Set with Handles
• Kitchenaid Measuring Cups and Spoons
• OXO Silicone Spatula