Paniyarams or appe are usually made with a fermented batter of rice and lentils and are mostly savory, although there are some sweet versions made with bananas, jackfruits, sugar, or jaggery. Paniyarams are close cousins of donut holes, hush puppies or aebleskivers as they all consist of batters that are cooked into small bite sized balls either deep fried or baked. Paniyarams are healthy and fun to eat and make a great breakfast or snack. Usually, I make a banana nut bread with over ripe bananas but have been wanting to make these sweet treats for a while.

Bananas and jaggery is another of those eternal love stories that bring out the best in each partner. Jaggery caramelizes into this deep golden brown color and also imparts a sweet aroma that reminds you of fresh molasses and sugarcane juice. Ripe bananas are also a basic ingredient for several desserts, such as bananas foster, sundaes, breads, and pancakes.

The batter of this recipe is similar to that of banana pancakes, but simpler I would say because it does not have any leavening agent nor eggs. You could serve these sweet appe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or toped with some honey or syrup, but they do not need additional toppings, especially when served hot and crispy.

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Step by Step

1. Mix in a blender
   • 3 over ripe or ripe bananas, peeled and chopped
   • 1/2 cup milk
2. Heat 1/2 cup water and add 1/2 cup jaggery to it. Stir it enough for the jaggery to melt. If using sugar, you can skip this step.

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3. In a mixing bowl add
   • 1 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
   • 1/4 cup rice flour (if available, it adds crispiness to the puff)
   • 1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional, I used the frozen, shredded kind)
   • Banana and milk puree
   • Melted jaggery (or sugar)
   • 1 tsp cardamom powder
4. Gently mix all the ingredients together with a whisk or spatula.
5. Place your appe or aebleskiver pan on the stove on medium heat.

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6. Pour one drop oil in each hollow
7. Add 1 tbsp batter in each hollow
8. Cover and allow to cook, about 3-4 mins depending on the surface coating of your pan
9. Use a chopstick to flip the puffs

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10. If the puffs are sticking to the pan, wait another 30 secs before flipping. You want a dark golden color on this side, which will allow all the sweetness in the bananas and jaggery to caramelize.
11. The puffs on the other side will not be as lacy and brown.
12. If you don’t have an appe pan then you can easily make pancakes with the same batter.
13. Heat a pan and add 1 tsp oil.
14. Take 2 tbsp batter at a time and spread into pancakes. The pancakes are not thin like crepes but more fluffy and thicker.
15. Flip the pancake and cook on both sides till golden. The ones in the picture below are slightly over cooked.

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Some Tips

Coconut is optional and I added it mainly for the texture, you can omit this ingredient.

Some other options that you can add are raisins or chopped walnuts or almonds.

You can also use all purpose flour (maida) instead of the whole wheat one. I have switched to whole wheat flour even for baking so usually do not have any other kind on hand.

You can serve these sweet pancake puffs with vanilla ice cream and drizzle with honey or syrup for a decadent dessert.