Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Saturday morning I woke up to a cold, yet delightfully sunny morning! I couldn’t think of a better way to start the cheery day than with a nice breakfast. Those of you who know me, you know this girl LOVES her breakfast. Yes, normally it is a quick bowl of oatmeal during the work week, but the weekends are a different story. Omelets, toast with jam, pancakes, waffles and French toast…I love them all! And clearly I have a problem with carbs……

I was recently given this recipe by one of my friend/neighbors for Lemon Ricotta Pancakes and couldn’t wait to try them out. Pat was not quite so excited as he couldn’t get past the concept of ricotta cheese in his pancakes, but I had faith!

The batter was pretty simple to put together and before long I had them cooking in the skillet. The light scent of lemon filled the air and made both our stomachs start to growl. While I did think they took a bit longer to cook than your typical pancake….they were 10 times better!

These pancakes were light and fluffy with hints of lemon running though. While I love pancakes, I often find them to be very heavy and tend to weigh me down after eating. But not with these pancakes! These seriously were some of the best pancakes ever!

And once you sprinkle some powdered sugar on top….oh don’t even get me started! Divine!
Pat even thought they were pretty wonderful too!

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

1 cup unsifted bleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
¾ cup ricotta cheese
3 tbl sugar
1 tsp freshly grated lemon rind
2 large eggs
¾ cup milk
4 tbl unsalted butter, melted and cooled to tepid
½ tsp pure lemon extract

1. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl.
2. Blend ricotta cheese, sugar, lemon rind and eggs in a separate mixing bowl, using a wooden spoon or flat wooden paddle. Blend in milk, melted butter and lemon extract.
3. Blend ricotta cheese mixture into the flour mixture, stir to form an evenly textured batter, using a wooden spoon or flat wooden paddle. The batter will be moderately thick.
4. Griddle your lemon ricotta pancakes as you would regular pancakes ( I just cooked them in a skillet). Serve with sprinkled powdered sugar.

Last Bite: Yes, I know these aren't your typical pancakes, but please, I beg of you, try them! And I promise you won't even miss the syrup bottle on the table. These are just that good!