Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes

First, I have to say thank you, thank you, thank you for the great response to the Austen reading! I have a list of about 10 of you who are interested -- and I thought I was being optimistic in hoping for 4 or 5!

If you'd like to join the group, see Monday's post here. I will probably wait a few more days to start the discussion on which novel we should choose. So be thinking about which Austen novel you'd like to read. :)

Today I'd like to share another breakfast recipe. Without a doubt, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. So there will probably be a lot of breakfast recipes shared on this blog. :) The original recipe comes from here, on tastykitchen.com , which is one of my favorite recipe sites.

I thought these were incredibly light, fluffy pancakes, with a hint of lemon. Perfect for a brunch or tea. Or for breakfast with a dear friend. Which is exactly the occasion that inspired me to make these delicious Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes.

I did tweak the original Lemon Ricotta Pancake recipe by adding blueberries and using buttermilk instead of regular milk. So they are now Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes.

First, preheat your favorite griddle or non-stick pan on the stove on medium-low. My favorite griddle is -- big surprise here -- my cast iron reversible griddle/grill.  I think cast iron makes the best pancakes. Although one might say I am slightly obsessed with cast iron, so perhaps I am biased. :-)

So, back to the recipe....

Since it calls for butter that is melted then cooled, melt two tablespoons of butter. Then let it sit to cool.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl.




In a separate bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, buttermilk, 1 egg, melted butter, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest.

This mixture has a really light, fluffy texture to it. I think it is the ricotta cheese that gives these pancakes the extra lift.

I ended up zesting two small lemons but only using the juice out of one, since it was a very juicy lemon. Oh, and don't forget to smell your hands after you have zested and squeezed the lemons. They will smell soooo good!

Next, pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour and stir it just until it is combined. I have learned that with pancakes, the more you mix the batter, the less fluffy they will be.

When your griddle is heated, it is time to make those pancakes.

I like to put a pat of butter on the griddle on the spot I will be cooking the pancakes, rather than spraying the entire pan. Yes, you end up using a little more butter, which of course, makes them more delicious. It also gives all of the pancakes a delicious crispy edge, which is my favorite part. But you can do it anyway you'd like, with butter or without. :)

So spray or place a small pat of butter on your griddle, then scoop about a quarter cup of pancake batter onto the griddle.

Carefully place as many blueberries as you want onto each of the pancakes, pressing them down slightly so they are nestled in the batter.

I prefer to do my add-ins to pancakes this way, especially with fruit like blueberries. This prevents the berries from breaking and discoloring the pancakes as well as helps to avoid over-mixing. If you are using frozen blueberries, definitely do it this way. If you are using fresh, you can avoid coloring your batter purple by mixing very, very carefully.  However, by placing your berries in the pancake, you can be sure that every pancake will have as many (or as few) berries as you want.

Cook for several minutes on each side. Serve with maple syrup. Or even better, blueberry sauce!

This recipe made me 4 large pancakes plus 3 small to medium sized pancakes. Of course, what you define as "large" and "medium" pancakes will probably be different from my definition. So you'll have to try it out and see. :-) I would say it probably feeds 2 very hungry people or 4 very light eaters.

Here is the adjusted recipe that I made. Find the original here.

Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tb sugar
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 Tb butter melted, then cooled
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest (or more, according to taste)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup blueberries
butter, for cooking

Preheat griddle on medium low. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mix ricotta cheese, buttermilk, egg, melted butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients, stirring only till just combined. Do not overmix.

When the griddle is heated through, place small pats of butter on each area where the pancakes will be cooked. Scoop the pancake batter onto the griddle, and place blueberries gently onto each pancake, pressing lightly so they are in the pancake. Cook 2-3 minutes on one side; flip pancakes and cook 2-3 minutes on the other side. Serve immediately with maple syrup or blueberry syrup.

Enjoy!