Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

What do you like in a good pancake? Fluffiness, lightness, unforgettable flavor? You must try these Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. You would never believe they are gluten free! Made with simple ingredients, these are no ordinary pancakes. They will become your go-to brunch recipe, or maybe even your favorite breakfast for dinner. Serve them with a lemon maple syrup (recipe included), and your kiddos and family will rave through the whole meal. They are definitely special.

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Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Serves 6-8

1 1/4 cups gluten free 1:1 flour (Bob's Red Mill 1:1)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (don't skimp on this!)

1/8 teaspoons salt

5 large eggs, separated

1 1/3 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese

4 teaspoons sugar

zest of one small lemon (about a teaspoon)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Lemon Maple Syrup:

1/4 cup lemon curd

2 cups pure maple syrup

Combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, ricotta, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla until smooth. Add the milk and melted butter and whisk to combine. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until combined. In a bowl, beat egg whites until medium peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter in 2 batches until incorporated. Heat a nonstick skillet and ladle about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake, cooking a few minutes per side, flipping gently as to not deflate. Serve immediately with lemon maple syrup.

For syrup, combine lemon curd and maple syrup. Heat until warm. Whisk until smooth. Serve over pancakes.

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Step-by-step tutorial:

Gather your ingredients. You will need gluten free flour, baking powder, fresh nutmeg, salt, 5 large eggs, whole-milk ricotta cheese, sugar, lemon for zesting, vanilla, milk, butter, lemon curd, and pure maple syrup. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients; 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (this smells heavenly!), and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Separate the eggs. To the 5 egg yolks, add 1 1/3 cup ricotta cheese, 4 teaspoons sugar..........

......zest of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2/3 cup milk......

.....and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Whisk to combine. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until medium peaks form.

Add the egg whites to the batter in two batches, carefully folding them in. Combine the lemon curd and maple syrup in your serving dish and heat. Set aside syrup for serving.

In a large nonstick skillet, scoop about 1/3 cup batter per pancake. Let cook over medium low heat for a few minutes on the first side, and 1 minute on the second side, or until golden brown.

Be careful when flipping the pancakes to not deflate them. The egg whites will make them light and fluffy.

Serve immediately if you want the pancakes at their fluffiest state. You can also keep them warm on a lined baking sheet in a 200°F oven.

And the best part? A sprinkle of powdered sugar and drizzle of lemon maple syrup! This makes them the most amazing pancakes you'll ever eat!

They are so good that we ate them for breakfast AND lunch one day!

Recipe Source: Recipe adapted from "Souffled Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes" in Sarabeth's Good Morning Cookbook