Chocolate Filled Banana Pancake Balls

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Everything always taste better on a stick.

Well that's according to my little 5 year old niece. She helped make and eat these!

The recipe is my basic banana pancake batter that I poured into an Ebelskivers (Danish pancakes) pan purchased eons ago at William Sonoma. I filled the middles with some chocolate chunks. Easy and yummy, but not traditional... So if you are looking for a traditional ebelskivers recipe, this isn't it. But if you are looking for an easy and fun kid friendly afternoon activity that doubles as a semi-healthy snack, keep on reading!

This banana pancake batter is terrific for using up ripe brown bananas--which I ALWAYS seem to have in my house. Pre-measure all the dry ingredients into a bowl/container. Then add the egg, and have the kids mash the banana, measure out the water, and oil, and mix everything up. After that, you'll have to make the pancake balls since it requires standing over a hot stove. However, the kids can watch and help to add in the chocolate in the middle.

A few tricks:

  1. You have to leave the pan on at low heat. Never heat it higher than medium heat, as the batter burns easily.
  2. Even though the pan is non-stick, I add a bit of butter to each well for flavor, and to ensure I can turn the balls easily.
  3. You can fill the middles with anything you like, but filling with jams make a total mess, as it liquifies and leaks and start burning. Instead, I've always had better luck with adding things like chocolate chips/chunks, a small piece of banana, or small piece of soft apricot, plum, or peach. RESIST the urge to overfill with filling.
  4. Pour batter in a clock-wise direction (or in an order you remember), then add filling in the same order, and then turn the balls in the same order to ensure even cooking.
  5. Use two wooden skewers to turn these balls-- they are the best tools!
  6. Don't chomp into these right off the pan--WAIT til they cool down a bit, or you might burn your tongue. The filling in the middle gets really really hot!

Measure out dry ingredients and add to bowl

Add egg, oil, mashed banana and water

Mix until no dry flour remain

Add butter to each well of the Ebelskivers pan

Pour batter into each well, filling almost to the top

Add chocolate chips or chunks

Using 2 wooden skewers, turn each filled ball over 180 degrees, tucking the edges in. When each ball is nice and golden and slightly crispy, skewer balls and transfer onto a plate, and enjoy with jam or powdered sugar. We ate ours on a stick, dipping into plum jam with each bite! So fun and tasty!

Yields 14 balls (serves 4 to 5 kids)

Ingredients:

  • 1 c all purpose flour
  • 2 T sugar
  • 2 t baking powder
  • ½ t cinnamon
  • ¼ t salt
  • 1 T light olive oil or any neutral tasting oil
  • 1 egg
  • ¾ c water
  • 1 ripe banana, mashed
  • ¼ c chocolate chips or chunks
  • butter for pan
  • powdered sugar or jam (optional)

Procedures:

1. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

2. Add oil, water, egg, and mashed bananas. Mix to blend.

3. Place pan on stove top and heat on low to medium low heat. Add small thin slice of butter to wells of Ebelskivers pan. When butter has melted, pour batter in a clock-wise fashion into each well, filling almost to the top.

4. Add chocolate chips to each well.

5. When small bubbles start to form in the batter, use two thin wooden skewers to turn each pancake ball, starting with the first well that got filled and continuing clock-wise until all the pancake balls are turned. Use the wooden skewers to tuck the edges into the well.

6. Turn the balls occasionally to check for color. Balls are done when all sides are nicely golden brown and slightly crispy. When done, skewer the balls to transfer onto a plate. Enjoy with some powdered sugar or jam.