Pumpkin Banana Pancakes

So, fall is over...BUT that doesn't mean all the pumpkin deliciousness has to be over too! Seriously, why only pumpkin in the fall?? Why only candy canes at Christmas?? ( I don't know about you, but I could enjoy a fun peppermint treat any time of the year ) Watermelon and corn on the cob only in the summer?? I could go on...

One of my goals is to start baking more.  I LOVE baking! I don't know why I don't do it more often.  I have been in a rut lately of eating easy snack foods like pretzels, protein bars, bagels, crackers, etc.  So when I have the time, I am going to start trying to bake/make things more often.  This morning I made some super yummy pumpkin pancakes!

I took a recipe from this amazing blog.  It's called Chocolate Covered Katie - The Healthy Dessert Blog.  She has so many awesome and healthy recipes.  I took her pumpkin pancake recipe and altered it a bit to fit my needs.  I am SURE if you follow her recipe they will be delicious!! I just made a few little changes.  I subbed oat bran for half of the flour, added extra cinnamon and pumpkin, left out the oil and pumpkin pie spice, and added some egg beaters and banana.

The batter was SUPER thick! I am sure you could add more milk if you wanted to thin it out.  I like more dense pancakes.  Almost muffin-like... In fact, I bet I could put this batter into a muffin pan and it would work great! I am gonna have to try that.

The batter was soooo thick.  Next time I probably will thin it out a little bit, but I do like them this way.  I sprayed the pancake flipper ( does it have a more proper name ) with some pam and pressed them down a bit.  

I am definitely NOT a pretty pancake maker!!! Meh, who cares...they taste the same no matter what! I don't have time to make them perfect circles!

Once again, not the most beautiful looking things...But they were yummy! I topped with some spray butter, sugar free syrup, and even more cinnamon.  

These are not what I would call your "traditional" pancakes.  They are not super light and fluffy.  They are more dense, kinda doughy, and hearty pancakes.  I love the pumpkin, banana, and cinnamon combo.  I think next time I will try baking them as muffins.  I will let you know how they turn out :)

Pumpkin Banana Pancakes

• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (30g)
• 1/4 cup oat bran (30g)
• dash of salt
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 2 t cinnamon
• 5 splenda packets
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 t apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (120g)
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 banana thinly sliced
• 1/16 cup egg beaters

Simply mix all the ingredients together by hand.  Get your pan nice and hot, a little non stick spray, and flip when ready! Since they are a lot thicker than your average pancake, you won't see them bubble when ready to flip. You just have to kinda check and see when the bottoms are a little brown.  

I have also made these before and just topped them with some cream cheese and cinnamon.  I haven't tried it yet, but I bet some peanut butter on top would be awesome too!

Do you prefer "traditional" pancakes or different flavors?