Blueberry and Basil Ricotta Pancakes

Some of my favorite flavors of summer, packed into one fluffy and decadent pancake! I love the combination of blueberry and basil in drinks, and I was curious how the flavors would play out in a pancake. It’s a pleasant (and delicious) surprise!

I can’t believe we already have Taproot Farm BLUEBERRIES this summer! These are one of my favorite CSA treats. There are of course a million ways to use blueberries in your cooking (that is, if you don’t eat them all right away!). My family makes pancakes once or twice a month, and typically we always stuff them with blueberries. In fact, you can find my Dad’s Famous Pancakes recipe by exploring my blog, The Kitchenologist©. However, this blueberry and basil ricotta version was inspired by blueberry lemon ricotta pancakes I had in Portland, Oregon four years ago at a restaurant called Jam on Hawthorne Café & Arthouse. They were so delicious and so decadent, so I decided to try and recreate my own version at home! I knew I would have some trial and error with the correct amount of basil to add in, and I think I found the perfect balance of tasting the basil but not being overwhelmed (it can be a fine balance haha!). I hope you all enjoy these unique and flavorful pancakes as much as my family has – happy cooking and eating! 🙂

Kitchen Tools:

Mixing Bowls

Sauté Pans

Stovetop

Measuring Cups

Measuring Spoons

Whisk

Spatula

Food Processor

Instructions:

1. First, mix your dry ingredients in a bowl: all purpose flour, light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, whisk together your whole milk, ricotta cheese, eggs, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
3. In a food processor, combine your basil leaves with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and chop the basil into fine pieces.
4. Scrape this basil/olive oil mix into your wet ingredients bowl and whisk to combine.
5. Next, pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and use your whisk or a mixing spoon to thoroughly combine, scraping the bottom and all sides. The mixture will be thick.
6. Gently fold your blueberries into the mix.
7. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to your large sauté pan (spreading evenly over the pan) and warm on low/medium heat. (*I used two sauté pans at once to speed up cooking time).
8. Once the pan is warm, use a 1/4 measuring cup to pour the mixture into pancakes on the pan ( I fit about 3 a pan because they do spread a bit).
9. Allow pancakes to cook – watch for the edges to set before flipping. Pancakes are very thick, so I recommend pressing lightly on the pancakes once you think they are cooked just to ensure the centers are set.
10. I store pancakes in a covered dish to keep them warm and continue to cook until all pancakes are done. (*I didn’t add any more olive oil between cooking, but if you feel your pan could use it feel free to add more).
11. Top warm pancakes with extra blueberries, extra basil, whipped cream and maple syrup.
12. Enjoy! 🙂

Makes Around 15 to 20 Medium Sized Pancakes

Recipe by © Alysha Melnyk 2019

The Kitchenologist©

@alyshamelnyk

Interested in going a more savory route for using basil? Check out my friend Kelly’s recipe for this Pesto Caprese Pasta and Basil Pesto on her blog, The Bookish Kitchen!