Every morning, I sip my coffee from a mug acquired on a vacation. Sometimes I’m in a buoyant mood. The porcelain cup displaying Jeff Koons’ “Puppy” at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao does the trick. The tall black mug from Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame definitely sets a tone for the day. Souvenir mugs from Hawaii recall sunshine and delicious memories.

I gather recipe ideas on those travels like keepsakes too. For example, one bite of banana cream pie pancakes on the menu at Cinnamon’s Restaurant in Kailua, on the island of Oahu, rendered them worthy of recreating at home.

Open daily for breakfast and lunch, Cinnamon’s offers traditional Hawaiian dishes, such as kalua smoked pork and loco mocos (rice topped with protein, eggs and gravy). We save room for their mash-up specials too. Enter these decadent pancakes.

Perfect for a sweet-loving dad on Father’s Day. Unsweetened coconut milk and vanilla flavor the pancake batter. At Cinnamon’s, the cakes are sandwiched with banana cream pudding. At home, banana yogurt makes an easier, less time-consuming substitute. Coconut whipped cream gilds the pancake stack, while crumbled graham crackers call to mind the crunchy crust on a traditional pie.

To help make the morning’s preparations go smoothly, mix the dry ingredients for the pancakes several days in advance. Mix the wet ingredients for the pancakes up to an hour in advance and refrigerate. The whipped cream mixture can be refrigerated covered up to overnight. I like to set the table ahead of time too.

Serve the pancakes with a side of berries and spicy sausages to cut the richness. Pour strong coffee into your favorite mugs, offering steamed milk and a shake of cinnamon. In Hawaii, we gobble up these pancakes before heading to a blanket on the beach. At home, we set up the hammock in the shade for a post-brunch nap. Dad will love you forever.

Banana Cream Pie Pancakes

Makes about 18 pancakes, serving 6

Note: If you can’t find banana yogurt, substitute vanilla yogurt and smash it together with a ripe banana. Or, swap in 1 1/2 cups banana pudding from a mix.

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon each: baking soda, salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 large eggs

1 can (13.6 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk, well stirred

1 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup expeller-pressed canola oil or sunflower oil, plus 1/2 tablespoon cooking

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar, plus more for sprinkling

6 graham crackers

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted, plus 1/2 tablespoon cooking

3 ripe but slightly firm bananas, peeled, sliced on the diagonal

2 or 3 cartons (5 or 6 ounces each) banana cream yogurt or bananas foster yogurt

1. For the pancakes, stir the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg together in a small bowl until blended. (Mixture will keep a week or more in a covered container.)

2. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until blended. Add 1 1/4 cups of the coconut milk, 1 cup yogurt, 1/3 cup water, 1/4 cup oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk until blended. (Mixture can be refrigerated up to an hour.)

3. For the coconut whipped cream, put cream into a large mixer bowl. Beat until foamy. Beat in 1/4 cup powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Beat in remaining coconut milk to soft peaks. Refrigerate covered. (The cream will hold overnight in the refrigerator.)

4. Put the graham crackers into a plastic food bag and crush coarsely with a mallet or rolling pin. Transfer to a small bowl.

5. Shortly before serving, heat oven to 180 degrees. Have a rack set over a baking sheet in the oven. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a bowl in the microwave oven.

6. Stir flour mixture and all the melted butter into the egg mixture just enough to moisten the dry ingredients. (It’s preferable to leave some lumps rather than overmixing, which can make tough pancakes.)

7. Heat a large nonstick skillet or a nonstick griddle over medium heat until a drop of water bubbles furiously. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of oil over the cooking surface and melt in about 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Spoon out a scant 1/3 cup of batter per pancake. Spread the batter with the back of the spoon so it is thinned out to a 4-inch round. Add more scoops of batter to make pancakes as the pan allows, leaving about 1 inch between pancakes.

8. Cook each cake, adjusting the heat as necessary, until bubbles break on top and the bottom is golden, about 4 minutes. Gently flip pancake over and cook until second side is golden, 1 to 2 minutes more.

9. Transfer cooked pancakes to the wire rack set over the baking sheet in the oven. Continue cooking, adding oil and butter to the cooking surface between each batch of pancakes. You should have about 18 four-inch pancakes.

10. To assemble, spread 1 or 2 tablespoons of the banana yogurt on one pancake. Place on a serving plate. Top with a couple of banana slices. Stack in this manner with two more pancakes. Dollop whipped cream on top. Garnish with sliced bananas. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar.

(JeanMarie Brownson is a James Beard Award-winning author and the recipient of the IACP Cookbook Award for her latest cookbook, “Dinner at Home.” JeanMarie, a chef and authority on home cooking, Mexican cooking and specialty food, is one of the founding partners of Frontera Foods. She co-authored three cookbooks with chef Rick Bayless, including “Mexico: One Plate at a Time.” JeanMarie has enjoyed developing recipes and writing about food, travel and dining for more than four decades.)

©2025 JeanMarie Brownson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.