Basil Chocolate Chip Ricotta Pancakes

These light and fluffy Basil Chocolate Chip Ricotta Pancakes are EVERYTHING! Whole Wheat ricotta pancakes are studded with mini chocolate chips, laced with fresh aromatic basil. Serve with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup.

When I think of basil and chocolate I think of Oprah.

Hold on I’ll explain.

I’m sure a lot of you are Oprah fans, so does anyone remember the episode when Giada De Laurentiis was on and she whipped up a chocolate, basil and brie panini? Oprah clearly didn’t like it, it was written all over her face. The audience received samples and even they weren’t impressed. AWKWARD! Something tells me it was the cheese that ruined it all! But that show always stuck with me… I wasn’t sure why it did until this morning.

Well the other night my Mom gave me a big zip-lock baggie of fresh basil from her garden and my first thought was that I’d make some pesto. Then I thought again of how many pesto recipes there are in the world and my mind went back to that Oprah episode I saw years back. And then my mind went to pancakes. I’ve never had a recipe pop into my head so quickly. So I jotted down the gist of it, tossed back a few cups of coffee and then set off for my kitchen to scour down the ingredients and get my cookin’ on.

I like using whole wheat flour in pancakes kinda gives the pancakes some depth.

Grab about 10-12 basil leaves; stack, roll and chiffonade (or slice thin strips) then give it all a good chop. My girls were all “Yay Pancakes!!” and then they said “What’s the basil for?” and with a huge enthusiastic smile I told them “We’re having basil & chocolate chip pancakes! “I quickly saw their smiles fade into what I can only explain as puzzled frowns of disappointment? For them (and most people) basil = Italian pasta dishes, so they couldn’t even fathom. To be honest I was a bit nervous, and yet strangely confident that this recipe was going to be a success… it had to work… I wasn’t sure how or why… but it just had to.

Place both the flours in to a mesh strainer over a large bowl.

Add in the light brown sugar, baking soda and kosher salt.

Sift all the dry ingredients in to the large bowl.

This is why I sift everything… besides it makes the dry ingredients light and airy, and it also eliminates those rock-hard sugar pieces. All at the same time! 😉

In a separate bowl with the ricotta; add in one large egg, 3 tablespoons of melted {not hot} butter, and 3/4 cup whole milk. My container of ricotta had the liquid already settled on the bottom. But if yours is pretty wet you might want to try straining it over a bowl to catch the excess liquids. Using ricotta cheese in a pancake recipe will keep them pancakes light and delicate!

Whisk until everything is combined.

Next add the wet ingredients into the dry…

And mix just until everything is incorporated.

Lastly toss in the mini chocolate chips and the chopped basil. Chocolate pairs wonderfully with basil… but if basil isn’t your thing then try some fresh grated orange zest along with a pinch of cinnamon. But I highly recommend trying the basil; it’s a fresh and familiar flavor that really brightens up these pancakes.

Once everything is combined, measure out 1/4 cup of the pancake batter.

Then on a lightly oiled, preheated griddle add about a 1/4 cup of batter. I use the measuring cup to smooth and spread the pancake batter out a tad.

Flip when golden. Carefully. Oops!

Which is about 2-3 minutes per side. That’s much better.

Top with butter…

Lots of butter.

And of course, real maple syrup.

And go to town! The instant the forkful of pancake dripping with butter and maple syrup hit my lips I knew the risk paid off and I just achieved a scrumptious triumph! Who would’ve thought an episode of Oprah could inspire such culinary success? So get out your steno and jot this one down, it’s gonna knock your socks off!

Enjoy! And if you give this Basil Chocolate Chip Ricotta Pancakes recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

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Yield: 4 servings

Basil Chocolate Chip Ricotta Pancakes

These light and fluffy Basil Chocolate Chip Ricotta Pancakes are EVERYTHING! Whole Wheat ricotta pancakes are studded with mini chocolate chips, laced with fresh aromatic basil. Serve with butter and drizzle of maple syrup. Yields 12 smaller pancakes.

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons light brown Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 1 cup ricotta cheese, (drained if super wet)
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for serving
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonade then chopped

Equipment

• Presto 7072, Black Slimline Griddle, 22"

Instructions 

• Preheat a lightly oiled griddle to 350°.
• Over a large bowl sift together the first 5 ingredients. In a smaller bowl combine the ricotta, egg, whole milk and melted butter. Add the ricotta mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
• Next, add in the mini chocolate chips and the chopped basil and stir.
• Measure out the batter by using a 1/4 cup measure, and pour onto the hot griddle. Using the measuring cup to spread and smooth the pancake batter out a tad.
• Flip when golden about 2-3 minutes and repeat.
• Serve with butter and real maple syrup.

Serving: 3pancakes, Calories: 474kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 108mg, Sodium: 436mg, Potassium: 227mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 782IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 405mg, Iron: 2mg

Author: Laurie McNamara

Course: Breakfast & Brunch

Cuisine: American-Italian