pumpkin ricotta pancakes
Where did we leave off? Oh, that’s right, I was telling you about my love affair with ricotta. I wasn’t kidding you know because I was in this predicament, you see. I was craving pumpkins, but not just regular buttermilk pancakes, no sir. Regular pancakes were not going to do. I wanted lighter, fluffier, delicate pancakes. Pancakes that would almost dissolve upon hitting my tongue. Which, of course, meant adding some ricotta. See, how clever I am in making sure my current obsession makes an appearance.
Of course, I had to make it more complicated, or what fun would it be? When I think of ricotta pancakes, I usually think of lemon ricotta pancakes. And the ones I wrote about awhile back were stunning and decadent. And yet, in the middle of November, days before Thanksgiving, I had pumpkin on my mind. Pumpkin ricotta pancakes – why not? But that meant I had to create a recipe from various sources because I searched far and wide and while I found pumpkin pancakes and lemon ricotta pancakes, there were no pumpkin ricotta ones anywhere.
Plus, I think this is all very à propos, because something tells me that after this Thursday some of you might have some leftover pumpkin and you might want to figure out a way to use it. And besides, who doesn’t love pancakes the day after Thanksgiving?
If you can spend the day in your pajamas lounging around, what better way to start it than with a plate of these?
Pumpkin Ricotta Pancakes
Adapted from a variety of places
Ingredients:
7 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for cooking
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Maple syrup, preferably Grade B, for serving
Preparation:
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the butter, milk and buttermilk until butter melts. Set aside and allow the mixture to cool until lukewarm. In a medium bow, beat the eggs. Slowly add 1/2 cup of the dairy mixture into the eggs while stirring. Stir in the remaining milk mixture.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture, a little at a time, stirring slowly, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter should be lumpy and will start to bubble. Stir in vanilla.
Stir the butter, the pumpkin puree, and the ricotta. Stir well. Stir in the cinnamon.
Clean the griddle by wiping an oily cloth over it and set it over moderate heat. (It’s hot enough when a drop of water bounces off the surface.) Just before you add the batter, run cold butter across the area where you are doing to cook. When the butter bubbles, drop the batter in 3-inch circles and immediately raise the heat to medium high. Cook, adjusting the heat, so as not to burn the pancakes until bubbles appear all over, 1 to 3 minutes. Using a spatula, quickly turn the pancakes. Lower the heat and cook until the second side is golden, about 2 minutes more.
Serve with warm maple syrup.
Makes about 12 4-inch pancakes.
Annie
And maybe I’ve just found my new Christmas morning breakfast!
patricia
Nice pictures!
I’m going to try a vegan version of your recipe!
Thanks for the inspiration!
Helen
Tried this recipe as listed, and found it too salty & bitter. Possibly the almost 2 T of baking powder? Did like the texture. Not able to taste the pumpkin.
Radish
Helen – sorry you had trouble. I’ll take a look at this recipe again sometime soon.
Fran Fruit
Perhaps specifying unsalted butter might reduce the saltiness — I think the amount of baking powder is necessary to leaven the dense pumpkin and ricotta.
As for not tasting the pumpkin, I think what some may be missing is that traditional “pumpkin pie spice” flavor that usually goes with it. A “dash of cinnamon” really isn’t enough. A teaspoon (or more) of pumpkin pie spice (or the equivalent made up of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and clove) might help.
Andrea
We made this pancakes this morning for the first time, and they were terrible! Gritty and salty…we couldn’t even eat them. Common sense should have told me to cut back on the baking powder, because it seemed like a lot as I was adding it. I wish I’d read the comments before making the pancakes. I’ve made pancakes with pumpkin and sweet potatoes before, and they require extra baking powder to leaven them. Please fix this measurement in the recipe ASAP! Our batch is going out in the back yard for the deer!
Radish
Andrea – thank you so much for your helpful comment. I’ll review the recipe and adjust. If something didn’t work for you, I certainly would like to hear about it – so thank you for sharing your feedback with me.