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Fresh ricotta cheese with a hint of lemon zest that is then topped with some sauteed apples make these apple pancakes the perfect fall breakfast. It doesn't hurt when you top it off with some homemade bacon butter.

Who loves boring old buttermilk pancakes? Well a lot of people! But even so, why not change it up a little bit and make some apple ricotta pancakes with bacon butter! That's right - bacon butter. This is actually inspired from Half Baked Harvest's cookbook.

When I opened the Half Baked Harvest cookbook for the first time a few weeks ago, the first recipe that caught my eye was the apple ricotta pancakes. There is a breakfast spot near Lauren's parents house called Drip Cafe. The only dish that Lauren has ever even ordered there is caramel apple pancakes, which has bacon in it as well.

But getting back to the cookbook, when I saw the pancake recipe I immediately thought of Drip Cafe. Yes, the bacon isn't in the actual batter, but it's in my new favorite thing - bacon butter! It really is what puts these over the top. That and how light and fluffy the pancakes are from the egg whites and ricotta. These apple ricotta pancakes really are worth a try.

What Ingredients are in this Apple Ricotta Pancakes Recipe?

Ricotta
Heavy cream
Lemons
Eggs
Buttermilk
All-purpose flour
Honey
Ground cinnamon
Baking soda
Kosher salt
Unsalted butter
Honeycrisp apples
Walnuts
Maple syrup

How to Make Apple Ricotta Pancakes

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. You can also bake at 400°F for 20 minutes on parchment-lined baking sheet. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and cool.
In a small bowl, mix together butter, honey, salt and bacon until combined. Store in fridge until ready to use.
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add butter. Once butter is melted, add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and cook, stirring occasionally for 3-5 minute or until the apples are starting to soften. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 200°F. In large bowl, beat half of the ricotta and cream until whipped, about 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, egg yolks, buttermilk, remaining ricotta and honey.
In another large bowl, beat egg whites until they have stiff peaks, which should take about 5 minutes.
In small bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to the ricotta mixture and stir until just combined. Slowly stir in the egg whites until just combined, which lightens the batter. Stir in cooked apples.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and coat with butter. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet and cook until bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 minutes.
Flip with a spatula and cook for another 2 minutes or until golden brown. Wipe skillet and repeat process. Keep the pancakes in the oven until all are ready to eat. Top with bacon butter, maple syrup and toasted walnuts.

Why Add Ricotta to Pancakes?

The ricotta adds extra richness that doesn't weigh the pancakes down, while also keeping them moist.

Can I Use a Buttermilk Substitute?

Not many people actually keep buttermilk on hand, but the real stuff makes a difference. However if you want to make your own version of it, mix 1 cup of milk with 1 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice. Don't expect it to be as thick and creamy however.

How to Freeze Pancakes

Yes you can actually freeze pancakes. Just let them cool to room temperature on a wire rack and then place on a baking sheet to freeze. Once they’re hard enough, place in a freezer bag. Once ready to reheat, add the pancakes to a plate and microwave for 30-60 seconds or until warm.

Tips for Better Pancakes

Baking Soda Freshness - you may not realize this but baking soda actually expires pretty quickly. Use baking soda that is less than 6 months old since it has been opened. If you use older baking soda, it won’t be powerful enough to help leaven the donuts. You can test it by stirring half a teaspoon of baking soda into a cup of hot water. It will immediately start to fizz and release carbon dioxide gas if it’s still fresh enough to use.
Whisk Dry Ingredients - to avoid lumps, whisk the dry ingredients before adding to the wet ingredients.
Whipped Egg Whites - it is an extra step, but whipped egg whites add to the lightness of the pancakes and helps them rise even more.
Don't Overmix - to add to the above, you don't want to overmix the batter. You want to have some lumps to create fluffy pancakes.
Rest the Batter - if you have the time, rest the batter for 15 minutes so the flour absorbs the liquid. I do this as I'm warming up the pan.
Use an Electric Skillet - a large electric skillet allows you to make multiple pancakes at a time, but you can use a cast iron skillet as well.
Wipe Skillet - by using butter, it will eventually burn so wipe the skillet between pancake batches to keep from having burned pancakes.
Don't Flip Too Early - wait until bubbles pop and form holes that stay open on the surface of the batter before flipping the pancakes.

Other Breakfast Recipes

If you’ve tried these Apple Ricotta Pancakes or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.

Apple Ricotta Pancakes