Orange Basil Ricotta Pancakes

Now that we have a new house that I can fill with whatever my heart desires (and my bank account allows) I cannot wait to build a garden in the backyard. And the main herb that I wan to produce? Basil. My obsession continues with this amazing breakfast recipe. I recently saw these pancakes here, and decided to make an HDFB version, complete with an orange glaze to finish them off.  My boyfriend is the one with the sweet tooth, so this was the perfect "meet-in-the-middle" breakfast. It's somewhere between his desire for chocolate brownie pancakes topped with oreos and peanut butter cups and my desire for savory bacon corn chive pancakes. The batter is a bit thicker than a standard pancake because of the ricotta, so just be patient. These babies are worth it!

Orange Basil Ricotta Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 orange, zested
• 2 tbsp. freshly chopped basil
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1/2 whole milk ricotta
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 1 cup almond milk

Orange Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp. orange juice, separated
• 1/2 tsp. orange zest

Preheat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, orange zest, and chopped basil. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, ricotta, vanilla, butter, and milk. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well to combine. Add more milk if you like your batter to be a little thinner.

Once the batter is mixed, spray the griddle with non-stick cooking spray and use a ladle or 1/4 cup measuring cup to spoon batter onto the griddle. Allow them to begin to bubble around the edges before carefully flipping them to the other side.

Once all batter has been made into delicious pancakes, mix together the glaze just before serving. Whisk together the orange juice, powdered sugar, and orange zest until smooth. Stack your pancakes high, drizzle with orange glaze, and serve!