One of the fruits we regularly go through, no matter what time of year it may be, is bananas. Michelle eats a banana every morning as part of her routine I have one also on most days. But even as fast we can go through them, there is always a time where it seems you end up with a couple of bananas that enter that stage where they are a bit overripe and not ideal for just picking up and eating. Instead of just tossing them in the garbage, take them, peel them and then freeze them in a zip-lock bag and then you will have them to use for all kinds of great things, like smoothies, ice cream, banana pudding for banana cream pie or for this recipe I just came across from Marcus Samuelsson for banana fritters. They are easy to make, only use a few ingredients you probably have on hand and are a great snack.

Banana Fritters

2 ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 tablespoon ground pumpkin pie spice mix(allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Vegetable oil, for frying

Cinnamon sugar, for dusting

In a medium bowl combine the bananas, eggs, water, melted butter, and the spice mix until the ingredients are well combined.

Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and granulated sugar to the mashed banana mixture and stir everything together until all of the ingredients are well combined.

In a heavy bottomed pan or Dutch oven pour about one inch of vegetable oil and heat the oil over medium heat until it registers 375 degrees on a candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer.

Drop spoonfuls of the fritter batter into the hot oil and allow it to cook, flipping once, until the fritters are golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Cook them in batches so you do not overcrowd the pan.

Drain  the fritters on paper towels and repeat the process with the remaining batter. Sprinkle the fritters with cinnamon sugar before serving, if desired.

These are really easy to make and taste great while they are still warm. I dusted mine with confectioner’s sugar instead of using cinnamon sugar, but I think either would taste great. I did not have pumpkin pie spice mix so I just used a teaspoon each of ground allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon mixed together to get the same flavor mix and it was fine. Sean and I enjoyed these as dessert with dinner one night and they are great with a cup of coffee in the morning. Mine came out a little darker than I would have liked but the oil was a bit too hot I believe and I did not watch it as closely as I should have, but they still were very good. You can easily warm them up again in a warm oven for a few minutes if you want to get the warm flavor again. This was a great use for those leftover bananas and I think the same recipe would work well with all kinds of different fruits, though you might want to change-up the spice mix or eliminate it to get the right flavor.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!