Monkey Cakes

1 cup gluten free flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup almond milk
2 Tbs canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 ripe banana
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1) Mix the flour, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
2) In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond milk, canola oil, vanilla extract and egg, until the egg is well blended.
3) Pour the bowl of liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix well and set aside. Gluten free flour dough needs to 'rest' for a bit in order to hold onto heavier ingredients such as banana and walnuts.
4) In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork. You'll want it to be mostly mashed, but with some small chunks for extra flavor. Mix in the walnuts.
5) Carefully stir the banana/walnut mixture into the pancake dough. Do not stir too much, as you don't want to overwork the dough.
6) Pour palm-sized bits of dough onto a heated (medium-high heat) griddle and cook 2-3 minutes on each side, until browned evenly.
7) Top with your topping of choice - maple syrup, sliced bananas, more walnuts?

Review: Last weekend, Mike really wanted pancakes. I told him we didn't have all the ingredients and he didn't believe me. He searched through the kitchen and proudly declared that we did indeed have what was needed. I directed him to find the maple syrup, which didn't exist. So, I won the argument but he seemed so heart-broken. So, we bought more maple syrup and I promised pancakes this morning. As I started preparing myself, I remembered there was an overripe banana on the counter and walnuts leftover from the scones I made earlier this week. So, I needed to make monkey cakes! These were pretty tasty and filling, making 12 palm-sized pancakes.

Adapted from:
http://dadwithapan.com/recipe/banana-walnut-pancakes/