We have friends in town. Beautiful friends, favorite friends, the kind of friends I’d split BFF necklaces with if I were eight and could scrape together enough allowance for so many bestie charms.

I set out to write about my time with them — about the sweetness and the goodness and the wholeness I feel — but I’m too selfish to want to break away any longer than I have to and they’ll be stateside again before we know it, so INSTEAD I’m going to share a little something sweet and good and whole they made possible by acting as our airway pack mules — our maple syrup and spelt flour connection.

I’ve been tweaking this recipe for a while now, trying to please both my inner health nut and the pancake police I live with, who consider some of the healthy hotcakes I’ve made to be better suited as coasters than breakfast cuisine. Not these bad boys. Check out that fluff…these are no spelt frisbees, my friends.

The following recipe feeds my family of six, though just barely. I almost always double it for sharing or afternoon snacking.

Bestie Banana Spelt Pancakes

2 c spelt flour

3 t baking powder

1/2 t sea salt

1 T sugar or maple sugar

2 eggs

4 T coconut oil

4 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 c rice or almond milk

1/2 t vanilla

salted butter

real maple syrup

In large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients and set aside. In another bowl, separate egg whites and beat to soft peaks (the secret fluff method). Add yolks and the rest of the wet ingredients, including mashed banana. Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Batter should be thick but still pourable (add a little milk as needed – some spelt flours are denser than others). Pour batter on hot, buttery skillet (I like cast iron). Flip pancakes when the edges appear cooked and the tops bubble. Top with butter and warm maple syrup.

Best served hot, savored slowly and enjoyed with your BFFs (isn’t everything?)

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. — JRR Tolkien