Fluffy Lemon Ricotta Waffles
waffles, ricotta, lemons, citrus
My husband is a very big fan of breakfast. I may have mentioned this before but he truly is a bottomless pit when it come to breakfast and always ends up ordering two of them when we are out for breakfast or brunch. The first one is usually your typical hungry man breakfast with a couple of eggs, hash browns, bacon and sausages. But he just can’t resist a stack of pancakes or a stack of waffles and that is what his second order usually includes. I’m pretty typical when I’m out for breakfast - if there is eggs Benedict on the menu that is what I will be getting. I can’t resist a good hollandaise sauce and every place makes it different and I love to taste them to compare.
Back to these waffles though. I’m trying to make something special for hubby on Sundays especially since our schedules have changed a bit on a Sunday and have a little extra time to have a slow morning. Waffles are one of his favourites and so I’m trying to experiment with a few flavours to have a little variety. Lemon ricotta are my favourite flavour addition to pancakes and I had to try them in in waffles. As I expected, they were delicious and not shy when it comes to lemon flavour which I love.
Why add ricotta to waffles?
As I mentioned above, ricotta adds a really nice fluffy texture to the waffles and who doesn’t want fluffy waffles with golden crisp edges? Ricotta isn’t something you necessarily taste in baked goods - the waffles definitely don’t taste “cheesy”, but rather, the ricotta adds a really nice milky richness and creaminess to each bite.
Lemon ricotta is quite a classic combo for baked goods and it works beautifully in waffles too. Topped with a dollop of whip, a little granola for a little crunch, sliced citrus and some pomegranate arils adding a nice freshness to them and of course some maple syrup. I was originally going to do blood orange glaze instead but I’m pretty classic when it comes to what I want to pour on my waffles and maple syrup was also hubby’s choice. I saved the blood orange glaze for a blood orange cake that I will be sharing in the near future. In the meantime I know you will enjoy these lemon ricotta waffles. I made these a few weeks ago as I try to stay a week ahead with posts but it’s looking like another snow day today so I think I’m going to heat up that waffle iron and get to making some more of these.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup milk
Directions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- In a small bowl, rub together granulated sugar and lemon zest until the sugar is scented with lemon.
- Add the lemon sugar to the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk together.
- In a bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together butter, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, ricotta, and milk.
- Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Do not over mix the batter. A few lumps remaining is fine.
- Heat you waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions spraying with cooking spray if needed.
- Dollop ¼ cup of batter into the waffle iron and cook until golden brown.
- Serve immediately with what whatever topping you would like. I served mine with a dollop of whip, a little granola for some crunch, sliced citrus and some pomegranate arils.
- These waffles can also be individually wrapped and frozen. They are great heated up in the toaster or in the oven
Recipe Notes
- If using a standing waffle iron or one that you have to pour the batter into, you may have to thin out the batter a little a tbsp at a time (with milk or water) until you achieve a more pourable consistency.
Recipe adpated from The Food Network and Joy the Baker
