Whole Grain Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes

My children recently wanted to experience breakfast at a local pancake house. We don't eat out often but we appeased them and we went. For those of you who live in Apex, I do NOT recommend our local pancake place on a Saturday morning, it was a mad house and we dropped about $70 for breakfast with 4 adults and two kids. Anyway....my children discovered chocolate chip pancakes when we were there, so here is the recipe I came up with to satisfy their new craving. They said mine were better than I-Hop's, but I think it is only fair to mention that they are used to eating most of everything whole grain. My daughter and I both ate them with just whipped cream, they didn't need syrup and they were delicious!! Fresh strawberries would be great with them as well. Here is the recipe:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup cornmeal
3 tbsp wheat germ (or flaxseed meal)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 c Hershey's special dark baking cocoa
1 egg
1 1/2 c milk (w/ 1 tbsp of vinegar added before using) or butter milk
1 small very ripe banana mashed well
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp oil (for cooking in pan)
cooking spray (for cooking in pan)

Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl and the egg, milk, banana and vanilla in another. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and the chocolate chips stir until well blended. If the batter is a little thick, add a little extra milk until it will slowly pour off the spoon. Lightly grease a griddle or skillet with the tbsp of oil and use a little extra cooking spray if needed. Heat pan on medium heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls into pan and cook until edges begin to look dry, then flip and cook until browned on both sides.

Enjoy!!