Chunky Monkey Pancakes

I like pancakes, especially on Saturday mornings. I turned my soft baked Chunky Monkey Cookies (on my Instagram) into pancakes. Then I made a warm caramel banana topping to go with and WHOA, a perfect Saturday morning breakfast on a beautiful Southern California day.

Chunky Monkey Pancakes
What you'll need:

• 1/2 cup toasted pecan butter, or any nut butter
• 2.5 TBSP Nikki's Coconut Butter Midnight Mocha 
• 1 medium very ripe banana, mashed  
• 1 large egg 
• 1/3 tsp cinnamon 
• 1/3 tsp cream of tartar 
• 1/4 tsp baking soda 
• pinch of fresh nutmeg 
• pinch of salt 
• pecans or walnuts (for topping)
• dark chocolate chips/Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips 

For the caramel banana topping:

• 1 banana, green tipped, sliced
• 2 TBSP coconut sugar
• 2 TBSP water
• 1 TBSP butter/ghee

What to do:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a stand mixer except for the whole pecans/walnuts and chocolate chips. Mix until smooth. The batter will be thicker than normal pancake batter. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Heat a pan/griddle over low heat and melt a little coconut oil or butter. Scoop the batter using an ice cream/cookie scoop and spread the batter around to get a nice even circle. Cook on low for about 2 minutes before flipping. Cook the other side for another minute. Repeat for the rest of the batter.
3. While the pancakes are cooking, make the caramel sauce. In a pan, heat the coconut sugar and water over low heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Toss in the butter/ghee and turn the heat up to medium low. Stir to melt the butter. 
4. Allow the mixture to boil and turn the heat back down to low to allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Add the banana slices and toss to coat. Bring the mixture back to a simmer for another 1-2 minutes. 
5. Plate your pancakes and top with your caramel banana sauce, nuts, and additional chocolate chips.