There's nothing quite like the smell of banana pancakes cooking on a Saturday morning. I started making these when my kids were little and couldn't decide between regular pancakes and banana bread for breakfast. This recipe solved that problem perfectly. The trick to really good banana pancakes isn't just mashing up some fruit and stirring it into batter. You want bananas that are properly ripe with brown spots on the skin. Those overripe bananas that look a little sad sitting on your counter? Those are exactly what you need here. They mash easily and have concentrated sweetness that regular bananas just can't match. I use a combination of all-purpose flour and just a touch of cornstarch in this recipe. The cornstarch helps create pancakes that are fluffy inside but still hold together well when you flip them. Don't overmix the batter once you add the wet ingredients to the dry ones. A few lumps are totally fine and actually preferred. Overmixing develops the gluten too much and you'll end up with tough, chewy pancakes instead of tender ones. These pancakes work beautifully for weekend family breakfasts, but they're also nice enough for when you have guests staying over. I like to serve them with pure maple syrup and a sprinkle of chopped walnuts or pecans. If you want to get fancy, a dollop of Greek yogurt or a drizzle of honey works well too.