Healthy Paczki Recipe: Battered Banana Paczki Bites

02.07.2024 | 1 min read

It is a Michigan ritual to celebrate Paczki Day on Fat Tuesday by eating a traditional Polish jelly-filled or cream-filled fried pastry called a paczek (pronounced PON-check). But if you are not in the mood for such a rich treat, there are other options. These fruit-filled delicacies are lighter than the traditional fried treat – significantly lower in saturated fat, sugar and overall calories. But the concept remains the same: a sweet, fruit-filled fluffy treat topped with confectioner’s sugar.

In this recipe, banana slices are dipped in a fluffy batter, seared to golden perfection, then served on a platter with drizzles of raspberry preserves and a dusting of powdered sugar. Enjoy as breakfast or dessert.

Total Time:

25 minutes

Prep Time:

10 minutes

Cooking Difficulty:

Medium

Serving Amount

Ingredients

1¹⁄₃ cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar or sweetener
1 Tbsp. baking powder
¹⁄₂ tsp salt
1¹⁄₄ cups milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 bananas
2 Tbsp. confectioner's sugar
¹⁄₄ cup raspberry preserves

Instructions

Step 1
Combine together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add the milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla.
Step 2
Use a whisk to mix wet ingredients in the well together first before slowly folding them into the dry ingredients. Mix together until smooth. Add more milk if the batter is too thick. It should be able to pour out of a ladle.
Step 3
Slice bananas ½ -inch thick and add a few to the batter, making sure they are completely covered.
Step 4
Heat a nonstick pan over low-medium heat. Lightly grease pan with butter. Add battered banana slices, leaving space in between.
Step 5
When the underside is golden and bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip with a spatula and cook until golden. Repeat with remaining banana slices.
Step 6
Add confectioner’s sugar to a sieve and dust over the banana bites.
Step 7
Add finished bites to a serving plate. Put raspberry preserves in a plastic bag and cut off a small corner. Squeeze the preserves over the bananas in a fine drizzle. Enjoy!