It’s funny what you remember from your childhood – memories that pop up out of nowhere. Whatever the reason, one of my favorites was those Sunday morning breakfasts where we all pitched in to make Hawaiian pancakes.
It started with my parents’ friends who retired in Hawaii, Captain Carl and Twila. We called him Captain Carl because of his big Chris Craft yacht that he cherished and kept in immaculate condition. They lived on it during the summers in Chicago and would pilot it across the lake to visit us in southwest Michigan. Theirs was a true American Dream story. He was born in Jamaica, orphaned, fended for himself, made his way to Chicago, worked hard, and ended up owning a string of dry cleaning and laundromat establishments on the city’s south side. Twila also had a hard start in a small town in the Appalachian foothills. She made her way to Chicago and found a good degree of success as a model and actress.
I remember every Christmas they sent us a big case of Mauna Loa macadamia nuts (why is it that I still remember the brand name?). It was all I could do to keep myself from downing an entire jar in one sitting. They weren’t readily available back then on the mainland, so we tried to make them last as long as possible, saving them mostly for special occasions and guests. Captain Carl also taught us how to make Hawaiian pancakes, which are really just regular pancakes with sliced bananas. But we thought they were quite exotic at the time as no one else was making them. And since bananas were my favorite fruit, I couldn’t get enough!
My version is a bit different than what we made back then, which were made with Bisquick or regular flour, milk and cooked in either butter or Crisco. As I’ve been cutting out gluten, dairy and most oils, I make mine with coconut flour, coconut milk and coconut oil, which I think gives it much more of a Hawaiian flair. And instead of topping it with just maple syrup, I chop up macadamia nuts to thrown on as well. Feel free to use whatever kind of flour or milk you like, but if you use coconut flour, note that the lack of gluten results in a different consistency, so it’s best to make them in small “silver dollar” size pancakes. This recipe makes about 20 mini pancakes and serves 4.
Ingredients
½ c. coconut flour
1 banana – sliced into ¼ inch thick pieces
1 ½ c. coconut milk
1 egg
1 tbsp. coconut oil, plus coconut cooking spray for frying
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
maple syrup – as much as you like
chopped macadamia nuts
Directions
- Mix coconut flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. Add in coconut milk, egg, and coconut oil and mix well. Set aside and let sit for 5-10 minutes so the baking soda and powder activate.
- Liberally coat the bottom of a non-stick pan with coconut oil cooking spray.
- Place 1 tablespoon of mixture in the pan, slightly smoothing it out to an even thickness. Slice banana into ¼ inch thick slices and place one slice in the center of each pancake. You can cook about 3 at a time in a regular size skillet.
- Cook on low heat (I set my gas stove between 2 and 3) for 5 – 7 minutes on the first side until the edges turn medium brown. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes on the other side. Re-coat the pan with more coconut oil cooking spray before each batch.
- Top with chopped macadamia nuts, syrup and serve immediately.
cheri says
Oh, do these pancakes look delicious!
cheri says
These pancakes looks amazing, what a great story.
Amy says
Thanks, Cheri. These really are quite tasty!
Liza says
Thank you for this. I stumbled on your site looking for into on Carl and Twila, who were also family friends. My grandparents and father were close to them, and we too received Macadamias from them. Thanks again!
Amy says
Hi Liza! Wow – never thought I would come across someone who knew Carl & Twila as well. They were very long-time friends of my family and our neighbors and the boating community in southwest Michigan and Chicago. When I was young, Carl taught me how to play the guitar and, later when I learned how to play the piano, he would accompany me with his guitar. He was quite the inspiration – an orphan who worked his way up to single-handedly own and operate a chain of businesses in Chicago. Definitely lived the American Dream. Then he met Twila, who also worked her way up from humble beginnings, to become a model and actress in Chicago and had her own cosmetics line. They spent a lot of time in Chicago but eventually settled in Honolulu, which is where they discovered those awesome macadamia nuts – and sent us cases of them every year before they were ever discovered on mainland America. I have sooooo many fond memories of Carl & Twila growing up and they were a huge part of our family. I miss them terribly. So nice to know that someone else remembers them as well! Feel free to contact me by email to exchange stories off-line! Would love to know your family’s experiences with these remarkable people!
Liza says
My grandfather was a golf pro in Highland, Indiana, and lived in East Chicago, Indiana, which as you likely know are like suburbs of Chicago. My grandparents wintered in Hawaii so Grandpa could golf. So they knew Carl from both areas! I always assumed it was golf that brought them all together. My Dad met Carl through them and they became friends and they shared a love of music. I know at one time Carl worked for Vee-Jay Records in Chicago and I think they clicked because of that. I met Carl and Twila a few times, but was very young so don’t remember much. I know we visited their home in Hawaii when we went there in 1980ish. I remember seeing dolphins from the lanai!
Amy says
Hi Liza – so sorry it’s taken so long to respond but somehow this comment got lost in my log. C&T spent about a month every summer in SW Michigan, so we got together with them often. I still remember their address in Hawaii – 8 Poipu Drive in Honolulu. Did you know that their house was used to film an episode of the TV show Hawaii 5-O? That was back in the 70s or 80s. Thanks for reminiscing with me, Liza!