I’m generally not a big breakfast eater. But years ago, while on vacation, someone talked me into having Lemon Ricotta pancakes and I loved them! Fast-forward many years to a Sunday morning, when I met a group of friends at Cheesecake Factory for brunch. When I saw these pancakes on the menu I just had to order them. They were delicious, and what was even more amazing, the recipe was posted online.

I decided to give it a try, and after playing with the heat on the griddle, I had success! They were moist, flavorful, delicate . . . delectable! All the grandkids love them too—plus they’re getting extra protein from the ricotta that regular pancakes don’t have.

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups buttermilk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups fresh ricotta cheese

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons lemon zest, minced

Directions

Put the flour, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl and stir together until evenly combined. Set aside.

 

In another bowl, mix together the eggs, vanilla, oil, and buttermilk; add the ricotta cheese, sugar and lemon zest. Using a wire whisk, gently stir until evenly combined. Continue to fold the ingredients together until just a few small lumps remain. Do not overmix the batter.

 

Heat a griddle or nonstick pan, with a little oil to coat the surface.

 

Use a ladle to pour out enough batter to form a 6-inch pancake. Let it cook until bubbles appear on the surface and around the edges (about 2 minutes). Flip each pancake; it will puff up just a bit and be done.

 

Serve with butter and warm syrup.