Mini Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes

 

Sometimes I just want a little something sweet!

Have you ever made a batch of pancakes on Sunday morning (or any morning) and had a little batter leftover? So, do you save the batter or throw it out?

I rarely throw away food, so the next morning (with just enough batter to make a little short stack) I made pancakes. I found some ricotta in the frig that I sweetened with confectioner’s sugar, added a splash of vanilla and lemon.

I had a delicious special breakfast for one. I enjoyed these mini-pancakes so much that I made a batch and served them at a morning meeting I hosted. They were well received (I should have made more) and I promised I’d post the recipe.

The next time you have a little bit of something leftover … what will you come up with?

Ingredients:

  • Pancake mix or your favorite recipe
  • 1 cup fresh ricotta 
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • Fruit syrup or jam
  • Berries for garnish
  1. To make the filling use a small bowl, beat together the ricotta, confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon zest.
  2. Prepare your favorite pancake recipe.
  3. Make pancakes in 3 different sizes to form towering stacks. I used (approximately) 3-inch for the bottom, 2 1/2-inch for the middle and 1 1/2-inch for the top (keep in mind, the batter does spread out on the griddle).

To Assemble the pancake towers, place the largest one on the bottom and spread with a bit of filling. Add the middle-size pancake and spread with a little more filling. Now top with the smallest pancake. I secured them with a skewer (the ones I had were too long, so I cut them with wire cutters).

Top with a fruit syrup or jam of your liking, garnish with a berry or two.

Lemon-Aid (Tips for buying, storing, using)
Marinated Zucchini Salad