Preheat a skillet over low/medium heat. You don’t want to skillet too hot. Add butter just before starting the first pancake.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Gently stir to combined.
In a large measuring cup stir together the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter. Gently stir into the dry ingredients.
Mash the bananas. Stir into the batter until it has just combined. Add pecans, if using.
Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the prepared griddle. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
Let the pancake cook until the sides start to pull up from the pan and bubbles begin to form on the top, about 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook until the second side has browned.
Serve warm with extra butter and your favorite syrup!