A couple times a month, I get a craving for chocolate chip banana pancakes. It always seems to happen on a Sunday morning, when (usually) I have the time and energy to make them. I sleep in, wake up, and and have the lyrics to that Jack Johnson song stuck in my head: “Make you banana pancakes, pretend like it’s the weekend.” Except the best part is, I don’t have to pretend it’s the weekend. And in less than 20 minutes, I’ll have fluffy, golden-brown pancakes.

Whenever I make pancakes, I use the same basic recipe and add in extra ingredients. My favorite recipe is Joy the Baker’s “Clean Your Plate Buttermilk Pancakes”–it’s the perfect canvas for pancake experimentation. Disclaimer: I usually swap in low-fat or fat-free milk for the buttermilk, and I halve the recipe. As much as I love pancakes, I don’t think I could manage to eat eight by myself. But I found that lowering the milk fat doesn’t affect the taste of the pancakes. The recipe still calls for a healthy portion of butter, eggs, and brown sugar, and I fry the cakes in vegetable oil. It makes them crispy and golden on the outside, and fluffy and moist on the inside.

The bananas add a touch of sweetness, and the semi-sweet chocolate chips pair well with the banana. Buttery, crisp, light–these pancakes are the perfect breakfast for a Sunday morning…or whenever you want to pretend that it’s the weekend.

Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes (adapted from Joy the Baker)

Ingredients

1 cup milk (I use low-fat or fat-free, but you can use buttermilk if you so desire)

2 eggs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

4 teaspoons light brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chips (the more, the merrier)

Directions

Whisk together milk, eggs and vegetable oil in a medium bowl, then whisk in the butter.

Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in another medium bowl. Whisk in egg mixture until combined. Mix in chocolate chips.

Cut up 1 banana and have the slices ready.

Grease a skillet over medium heat. Spoon 1/4-1/3 cup batter into skillet, working in batches. Place banana slices on top of pancake. Wait until cakes have bubbles on top and are crispy around the edges, 2-3 minutes. Flip the cakes and wait another minute until the bottoms are golden brown. Serve immediately.