Pancakes That Taste Like Blintzes
When I was pregnant with our daughter Birdy and revolted by every food-scented molecule that passed by, we went to an IHOP and I ordered the blintzes with fruit compote and I was actually able to eat them and a chorus of cartoon bluebirds flew around my head singing. All of which is to say: I love blintzes, which are crêpes stuffed with lightly sweetened cottage cheese and topped with fruit or jam.
Sadly, they’ve have been discontinued at IHOP, and I’m too lazy to make, fill, and roll crêpes, but these cottage cheese pancakes have the same tangy tenderness I crave. Plus, they’re full of protein and super easy to make, assuming you can wait for the pan to heat appropriately, which you either can or can’t depending on what kind of pancake maker you are. They end up with these slightly lacy, buttery edges and I could really just eat them all day.
Birdy loves them, too (because of the blintzes in utero, obviously), and we go through phases of making and eating them constantly, even though she’s usually at college so by “we” I mostly mean “I” (sob). But today my beloved nephew Sam was here, so I stuffed him with pancakes and was immensely happy.
This recipe serves two people generously; it can be easily doubled or halved.
Pancakes Like Blintzes
Serves 2
2/3 cup full-fat (4%) cottage cheese
2 eggs
2 tablespoons flour (all-purpose or gluten-free all-purpose)
1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter (plus more butter for greasing the pan and serving)
Scant ½ teaspoon kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon table salt)
Butter, fruit, sour cream, and/or preserves for topping, as you like
1. Heat a skillet, wide pan, or griddle over medium-low heat while you prepare the batter.
2. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until it looks liquidy and homogenous. This is a thin batter. That’s exactly what you want.
3. Spread some butter around in the skillet (which should be hot by now), then pour in small bloops of batter directly from the blender so that they spread into 3- or 4-inch circles. Cook until the underside is deeply golden and the edges are starting to look dry, then flip and cook until the other side is golden (around 5 minutes altogether). You can keep these warm on a platter in a 275-degree oven while the rest cook, if you like. Repeat with the remaining batter.
4. Serve with butter and fruit, or sour cream and preserves, or — honestly, this is my favorite way — completely plain.
P.S. Catherine’s joyful, jumbled house tour, three throw-together breakfasts, and zucchini muffins for school breakfasts.
Tags: breakfast recipes
Comments
118 commentsThese were really good. I left out the salt, because cottage cheese is salty to my overly sensitive palate, and added a few drops of vanilla and a little homemade vanilla sugar. I put everything into a 2 cup Pyrex measure and buzzed it with an immersion blender, which then allowed me to pour the batter directly into the skillet, which cut down on the subsequent washing up. Next time I might try adding a little grated orange zest and a drop of orange flower water. This recipe is a total keeper, and I look forward to serving it in the morning the next time I have overnight visitors.
We loved these! OK to omit the salt they seemed a little salty to me.
That looks amazing!
Saved this recipe the moment I saw it, and finally got a chance to make it. Always glad to have another high protein breakfast option. Smeared mine with a little bit of preserves. I’m a small woman though, and this definitely was a single serving portion size!
Thank you for the recipe! I made them last weekend and they were delish! Bonus points for getting the cottage cheese protein into my 2 year old :)
Best switch up with any pancake? Use coconut oil instead of butter for frying- doesn’t burn and give a very crispy edge. credit to Alison Roman for this lifechanging hack.
I love how they can be both sweet and savory, depending on the filling. The ricotta and lemon zest combination sounds especially delicious—light but still satisfying. Do you think they could be made ahead of time and reheated, or are they best enjoyed fresh? Either way, I’m excited to try making them!
Just made these, with a swipe of green gel food coloring, before the kids got up. Did I tell them I had stumbled on a leprechaun in the kitchen and he left me pancakes instead of a pot of gold? Yes, yes I did! Anyway, three tips: 1) I one and a half timed the recipe for five of us and that was way too much batter; 2) it is quite salty—taste your cottage cheese before deciding to add some or any salt (I like salt and it was fine for me but too salty for the rest of my fam); 3) your pan needs to be really hot; not till the third panful or so did I start getting the lacy brown bits. All this said would totally make them again. :) Happy St. Pat’s! 🍀
Oops, I doubled and a half these—sorry. That made 30ish “bloops” so one batch is probably about 12? If it helps anyone. We had them with a tiny bit of sour cream and jam, which was yum!
I made these over the weekend and my 10yo declared them “the BEST pancakes [she’s] ever eaten, like something from a restaurant”. So easy to make and so delicious.
Just made these for dinner and halfway through whipped up a second batch. SO good! My 12-year-old declared it her new favorite food.
Been wanting to make these all week after seeing this recipe. I finally did, and they are delicious! Also love that they take such little flour, so using gluten-free flour didn’t affect them much!
“Pleasantly lighter than regular pancakes,” said my husband, adding “Please make them again.” I agree.
Made these for my 1 year old. Such a hit!
Wow, this blintzes recipe is absolutely delicious—thank you so much for sharing it! I made it for a weekend brunch, and it was a hit with my family, especially my little ones who loved the sweet filling. I appreciate how easy the steps were to follow, even for a busy parent like me. I actually run a site, https://topbabypicks.com , where I share tips and reviews to help parents navigate the chaos of baby gear, and I’m definitely adding this recipe to my list of go-to meals for family gatherings. Thanks again for the inspiration!
We made these this morning for our weekend pancake breakfast. Love blintzes and love pancakes but these weren’t for us – too moist, too sour, and too fragile. We’re going to stick with the originals!
My four year old just said “That’s the best pancake ever!” Thank you for the recipe and inspiration!
Any kind of pancake is just comforting isn’t it? I’ve been making my mom’s basic recipe for so long, with all kinds of variations, for so long now i have the recipe memorized. My dad used to love them with brown (roast beef) gravy. And i started making them with apple slices sauted in butter and cinnamon when i was pregnant with my first baby. We were at a cabin that summer and i ate an entire batch. Now she has her own baby. I can’t wait to feed him all the pancakes. I make them for my preschooler students, with bananas, pb, chocolate chips. I make them cottage cheese based ones too. And throw those in the waffle maker sometimes too. We make dutch babies, crepes, German pancakes, cornmeal (savory and sweet versions). Is there a version that’s not wonderful? Something about whatever kind of pancakes, butter, maple syrup that feels nostalgic and like someone somewhere loves you very much. I bet biscuick works just as well as homemade for feeling loved. Adding these, our family’s first blintzes, to the rotation, thank you. And thank you for the many explain the differences between blinis and blintzes. I think we need a blinis post now too
What an amazing recipe – thank you! A plug for the frozen blintzes from Trader Joe’s. They are SO good!!!!
Always the best recipes on CoJ!! I want to save and keep them all. Wish there was an easy way to “print” or save as pdf or ….. any hacks out there!? Any savvy readers with a solution?
Not fancy, but I cut and paste the copy and email it to myself. I’ve been saving recipes to Pinterest for forever but I’m afraid they won’t be around for forever, and searchability is limited. So this is my low tech process bc I’ll always have email (for better or worse?!)
The Mela app!! A recipe manager that has made my cooking life so much more joyful. You can import recipes from the internet, your cookbooks, even recipe cards. They all format into one pleasant, easy-to-read, well, format. You can categorize them, make grocery lists from recipes, share with friends, it’s just amazing. And it costs, like, five bucks. Enjoy!!!
I send links to my notes app. I made a cooking and food folder so I pop them in there. My whole life is in the notes app!
These were amazing! Ernie and I enjoyed them with our homemade Fig Butter (no added sugar). Reminded me of Indiscreet with Cary Grant and Ingid Bergman. She made him Blueberry Blintzes. Thank you
The house tour, the books, the style…of course Catherine has a magic pancake recipe. This woman is everything. Is there an official fan club taking applications, or?
This! I didn’t realize this recipe was from Catherine until I got to her photo, at which point I thought, of course this is Catherine Newman, all of her writing—recipes included, apparently—makes me fall just a little more in love with life’s possibilities.
We made these tonight!!! My 11 year old daughter made homemade blueberry jam to top them off and we loved!!! She is too cute. Frozen fruit and a little sugar and patience at the stovetop and you have jam! Catherine thank you so much for the recipe :-) We all “waited” with you for Birdie and now here she is… her mom gave me a pancake recipe… it’s all come full circle and I love it.
Grew up on blintzes, savory ones and sweet. They seem much easier to me than pancakes but these cottage cheese style ones do seem interesting!
My mom made a version of these many weekends when I was growing up, they were our special/fancy family breakfast. Hers were a recipe from the Vegetarian Epicure cookbooks. Very nostalgic post for me!
These look so delicious and easy to make. My youngest, when he was at high school, loved making pancakes etc for all his friends. I would come home and there would be several boys in my kitchen eating pancakes. He still loves to make them( for his daughters now). While I am here I need to tell Catherine how much I loved her book “Sandwich” one of my all time favourites in fact. It reminded me so much of family holidays we had. This seemed to be the perfect opportunity to say thank you.
Made these today for lunch . Gorgeous. thank you Catherine 😊 btw Sandwich is my favourite book ever xx
Yum!
One of my favorite comfort food recipes is combining two crumbled matzos, a big blob of cottage cheese, and two eggs, letting it sit until it’s hydrated, then cooking the resulting batter like pancakes. When I’m really craving a blintz, the Golden brand frozen ones are actually pretty good.
In my first pregnancy, I was appalled by the smell of my true love, coffee. One day, completely battered by work and lack of sleep, I decided to attempt a Chai latte from the corner coffee shop. One sip in and my heart was soaring because it didn’t taste absolutely disgusting. I was so excited that I turned around and went back to tell the owners how happy I was to have caffeine back in my life. So I love the description of the cartoon birds — I know exactly how that feels.
Wow – nostalgia. My mom made blintzes when I was growing up. She loved them so much. I am going to make for my husband who loves cottage cheese.
YUMMMM currently finishing my last pancake, made it for dinner!
I came back today to see if I could vicariously indulge in someone having made these already- hip hip hooray! Can’t wait to actually make and eat these, and Catherine Newman you are so fun to read always. Thank you and Cup of Jo for inducing joy!
I still go back to Catherine’s house tour every now and then for some joy. That chair with all the clean laundry piled on it is so cosy and wonderful – I love it so much and it feels so real. Crepes with buttery edges sound delicious.
I do too! It’s actual house goals, as in a house that feels lived in and loved.
Catherine Newman post! Yay!! But how can Birdy be in college? She was just a toddler!
Haha yes my thought too. :)
By the way, if anyone is craving actual blintzes, many grocery stores sell frozen ones in the international food section. ‘Golden’ brand—they’re not bad at all, maybe just a tad too sweet for my taste. I will need to try this blended version too!
We enjoy that brand especially the potato version. A brunch staple often.
How does Cup of Jo read my mind so often…(especially when I myself am not really sure what is straggling around in there…)
This recipe works as waffle batter too. I topped with homemade pear sauce for lunch. Very tasty and super quick fix!
Anything that has the word ‘blintzes’ in it will catch my eye! I LOVE a good blintz and not too many places where I live do them well (Toronto may have a great food scene, but certain Jewish foods are lacking compared to what I grew up with in the states. I finally found good bagels though!). So to see this recipes take on them… I’m sold! Blintzes remind me of my grandma too, she loved them and whenever I see them on a menu in a Jewish deli or restaurant I have to have a bite. Give me a blintz and an egg cream and I’m a happy gal. :)
Sonny Langer’s blintzes are excellent IMO!!
Here here! I love a good blintz and a good egg cream. Tomorrow we will be eating fair-to-middling Hamantashen at the office because I can’t be bothered to make them, just to buy them!
Jak, sorry to jump in and change the subject but I am visiting Toronto in June (never been before) and wondered if you could expand on the great food scene – any recs would be gratefully received, bonus if there are gluten free options! Thanks so much.
Jak, I’m a Torontonian… have you been to United Bakers? It’s a classic institution. I haven’t been to Milk N’Honey for a long time, so I can’t attest to the quality anymore but they do blintzes. For Montreal style bagels (the best!) try Bagel House or St. Urbain. Best pizza is North of Brooklyn. Very good baked goods at Forno Cultura and Sud Forno. Elle, what are you particularly interested in? Happy to give recs. Do you already know what part of the city you’ll be staying in?
Elle, I have a rolodex of favourites that I am happy to share for Toronto! – Adrak Yorkville is upscale Indian food (worth a splurge for a special dinner, the presentation and food is delightful) – Tsuchi Cafe- a Vegan Japanese cafe with amazing desserts and meals (get the strawberry cheesecake, you wont regret it- we had it as our wedding cake!) – Futura Granita + Gelato – best gelato in the city with unique flavors! Nicest owners too. – Icha Tea – there is a bubble tea spot on every corner but this is my favorite (if you come in the summer on a saturday, check and see if the Toronto Flower market is going on that weekend in the park across from the Queen st w store location) – Pai for Thai food, Romi’s for Jewish/Israeli food, Saigon Lotus in Kensington market for Vietnamese food, and Mandy’s (a Canadian answer to Sweetgreen, if you are in need of salad), Fresh Kitchen + Bar (pretty sure they have gluten free options as well as vegan) – Sugar Marmalade (for Chinese style desserts like sweet red bean soup, sticky rice, or shaved ice in flavors like matcha or mango) – For desserts/snacks; Roselle Desserts, Kitten & The Bear, The Candy Bar, Coco’s neighborhood coffe shop – Don’t forget visiting grocery stores: I’m partial to T&T and PAT Central (both Asian grocery stores) I hope this list is helpful, these are all places that I frequent regularly or on special occasions. I tried to keep it to the downtown core even though there are amazing restaurants outside of that, like Markham if you like Chinese or other Asian cuisines. Have the best time in our city! xx
Shir, I enjoy United Bakers and does have some similarities to places in NY (I love that it feels like Jewish restaurants I’d frequent as a kid, they nail the nostalgia factor) but I was not overly wowed by their blintzes. Maybe my expectations are too high (probably lol) but they charge $8 for one blintz! Times are tough for sure, but for that cost they should include at least two or three. I also like Primrose bagels since its more NY style bagels (sorry! My Canadian friends always debate with me about this and I do appreciate a good Montreal bagel but I will always be a NY Jew at heart and prefer that style almost always). Agree with you that North of Brooklyn does the best pizza. :)
Elle, for gluten free in Toronto try Almond Butterfly Cafe on Harbord and Bunner’s Bake Shop in the Junction. Also Gud Daae and The Bread Essentials are the best gluten free spots I have found in the city but they are not in Toronto proper, they are out in south Etobicoke near the lakeshore. Worth the trek!
I knew I could reply on the CoJ community. Thank you for the recommendations Jak and Iris. Still in the early stages of planning, and so not sure on areas yet Shir. I’m meeting a friend who lives in NZ and I’m travelling from the UK. We try and do a trip every couple of years and we are so looking forward to visiting your beautiful city.
Is the 2 TABLESPOONS of flour correct? Or a typo? This seems like a tiny amount to hold together so much cheese/egg – but I its it not a typo, I’m all for it. Has anyone tried and vetted that?
I have not made the recipe but her substack posted the same pancake recipe (the COJ one is halved) and the amount of flour is the same. https://cronesandwich.substack.com/p/cottage-cheese-pancakes/comments
It is correct! I can confirm that this recipe is absolutely delicious (including the chorus of cartoon bluebirds flying around my head singing.) 🪺🤗
Hiiii! you would think so, wouldn’t you? But yes, it is actually the right amount.
Another first trimester sufferer here trying these asap, thank you!
I could read a Catherine Newman post on watching paint dry and I’d (figuratively) gobble it up.
I agree, everything she writes is gold.
Word!
Me too ❤️
Completely agree! I just came to comment that I was skipping this post until I saw Catherine’s byline and thought I’d better read this … I always take something away from her writing. “Chorus of cartoon bluebirds …” 🩷
Or Catherine could make toast! I’d read about that too!
xoxo
“which you either can or can’t depending on what kind of pancake maker you are” I mean, lolol
Correct on all counts
Me too! This recipe made my mouth water and knowing she wrote it just made me happy. Always a little buzzy feeling to catch anything written by her.
was going to say the same
Wouldn’t you know that I was just searching for a cottage cheese pancake recipe. Catherine Newman coming through for me once again.
Can anyone comment or ask Catherine if 2% cottage cheese would work? Because that’s what I have and now I want pancakes 😂
i’m making this recipe for years and, yes, it absolutely works, go for it!(you can also add more melted butter if you are worried your cottage cheese is too dry/lean)
Even though I wrote those strict instructions about whole-fat, I think that would work totally fine!
Excited to try this recipe this weekend — thank you for sharing it! One question: as I don’t have a blender, would mixing by hand suffice?
Whisk vigorously to sort of break down the cottage cheese curds before mixing in with other ingredients ! that should be good enough in fact, if I were to make it , I will use a whisk in cottage cheese jar itself to break down curds, then use a microwave safe bowl to melt butter first, followed by mixing all ingredients in same bowl to make the batter thus dirtying only one bowl
I’ve been making a similar recipe for years, but I don’t blend it, and it’s still great! It just has a little more texture but still so delicious.
I found a perfectly good hand held blender at my local thrift shop for $12.99. It’s one of the things I use the most in my kitchen. It’s much better for blending a soup than a stationary blender.
I used an immersion blender (handheld stick blender) today when I made them and it worked great! I was too lazy to take down the blender (and clean it afterward).
Also a fan of your writing, Catherine! These look great as is… I’m wondering if there also might be ways of making savory versions. Anyone have suggestions?
Maybe throw some herbs in the batter? Top with sour cream, salsa, bacon bits, sautéed mushrooms and spinach?
Honestly, they’re quite savory as is, which is something I love about them. But definitely you could add herbs or a grind of black pepper. . .
I’d throw some scallions and a little grated cheddar in there. You can top with avocado and cherry tomatoes.
ah, a fellow ihop cheese blintz lover! i’m still so sad they don’t make them anymore. i will give these a try!
100% making these for lunch today, and I strongly believe that full fat cottage cheese (and dairy in general) is the only acceptable cottage cheese!
Does anyone have any idea if this batter would keep well for a day or two in the fridge? Always looking for delicious, easy, protein, heavy breakfast for busy weekday mornings!
I would make and reheat the pancakes (like heating up a tortilla) rather than keep the batter :)
I’ve made cottage cheese pancakes and then frozen them (let them cool first and then wrap in tinfoil) – stick them in the toaster when you want them and they’re still pretty darn good.
Not sure about batter, but I have cooked up big batches of similar pancakes and they keep great in the fridge (1-2 days) or freezer (couple weeks)!
It’s better to make, freeze, and reheat but if you must, the batter overnight in the fridge is fine
Is it just me or does it seem like cottage cheese is “having a moment?”
Cottage cheese is always having a moment in our house, but I must confess, I’ve never used it this way!
It totally is!
I read that it is a TikTok craze and now supermarkets are struggling to keep up with supply. Cottage cheese freaks me out – something about the look of it just screams “I will become your next migraine if you let me”. Apparently because it is high in protein everyone wants it.
It’s an essential part of the over 40 high-protein diet.
Giving a shout out for Good Culture cottage cheese. Who knew cottage cheese could be that good?
What Jeanne said! Good Culture has reinvented the game here.
It’s been having a moment for me for decades… and i’m under 40! I am kind of a dairy hound thought… I eat all the cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream, and butter with abandon. If I don’t have cheese to go with crackers, I dip them in sour cream. Or put a small wedge of butter on like it were a cheese slice. I know, my arteries!
There’s actually a word in Russian for “cottage cheese pancakes”, which is “syrniki” (you’d have to up the cottage cheese and leave just one egg – they will be thicker). Then it’s eaten the same way – with sour cream and/or jam and/or condensed milk on top! Or nothing.
Ooh this sounds great, thank you!
More recipes should include the term “bloop”. Research has shown that makes the resulting dish even happier.
Yes! I was like, small bloops is right up my alley.
Yay Catherine! I loved Sandwich so much, thank you to Cup of Jo for introducing me
Thank youuuuu!
Warm hug, breakfast! yum!
This recipe was linked in “Dinner: A Love Story” and I go back to it all of the time, thank you for posting!
These look so delicious! Can’t wait to give them a shot this weekend.
OMG!!! Those pancakes look so good :) I will give them a try.
Blin is the singular, blini (or bliny) is the plural. Also, Russian bliny are always crepe-like, not thicker like these pancakes. A thicker, American-style pancake is an oladya, plural oladi (or oladushki, affectionate diminutive).
Blintzes are an ashkenazi jewish rolled pancake that is stuffed with cheese, and usually topped with a fruit sauce or compote. So the blintzes def makes sense :)
I think blintzes is the Yiddish version!
Blintzes are stuffed crepes, blini are smaller thin pancakes. Blintzes are a Jewish food, and I’m very happy to see it celebrated in this post! I hope you can try one soon, Joy! They are delicious. The point of the recipe is that they taste like blintzes.
These might just be what my pregnant stomach can handle today…
Blini is the word for Russian crepe-like pancakes. Blin is one pancake, blini is multiple! Another fun fact is that “blin” (literally “pancake”) is also used to say “crap!” or “dang!”. There is also a phrase “pyervi blin komom,” which means “the first pancake is always a lump” or things don’t always go smoothly the first time.
Love this – and it has me thinking of Connor in Succession being called the first pancake! As the eldest daughter in my family, I can relate.
Blintzes are different than blini!
Currently pregnant and living off of simple, carb-heavy comfort foods, especially breakfast foods! Thank you so much for sharing!
Ahh congrats on the pregnancy! Your comment gave me a flashback to being early days pregnant with my first a decade ago and on an amazing trip of a life time to Japan (booked prior to knowing about the pregnancy!). I kept bursting into tears in all the wonderful restaurants saying all I want is a jacket potato!