Russian Cheese Pancakes

Russian Cheese Pancakes called syrniki have become our latest favorite breakfast, snack or even dessert. This is the first time I’ve made these and all three of us fell in love with the result. I was a bit suspicious at the beginning about making it right but the result was incredibly tasty. The yummiest pancakes I’ve ever had! I started to dream about the next ones right after I had the first bite when it was still warm. Slightly crispy on the outside and fluffy and slightly creamy on the inside. Oh that creaminess is definitely to die for!

I decided to make these Russian cheese pancakes when I saw the amazing looking picture on one of my favorite instagram accounts: okurlar. She shares fantastic recipes including Ukranian cuisine dishes on her page. And I knew that Ukranian or Russian syrniki would be right up to my alley. I wasn’t the only one who had that feeling. We almost devoured all of them in seconds.

When I googled it, I found that syrniki is mostly known as Russian pancakes although they are not very similar to regular pancakes. Syrniki recipe is originally made with farmers cheese or cottage cheese, but she says the cheese they use is a bit different from the ones sold at the markets here. She even explains how to make curd at home in that post. You know I love to make things from scratch, so I made my own curd following her instructions and I loved it! It is very easy indeed. Just boil 1 liter milk and as it starts to boil, add 2 tablespoons (I used 3 tbsp) of plain yogurt, stir well and remove from heat. Wait until milk starts to change its from, about 10-15 minutes and then strain. I will definitely be making this often to use in various recipes.

I highly recommend you to make your cheese at home for this recipe. If you prefer store bought cheese though, and if you can’t find farmers cheese or cottage cheese, I think curd and ricotta work fine for these Russian Cheese Pancakes.

I had to make some changes in her recipe, probably because of my homemade creamy curd. I had to use much more flour. Also, she suggested adding some raisins to the batter but I prefered it plain.
Russian syrniki is mostly served with sour cream and jam or fresh fruit but I served it with Nutella. Spread a little Nutella on these slightly sweet pancakes and you have the yummiest dessert ever!

Russian Cheese Pancakes

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Pancakes made with farmers cheese or curd. Crispy on the outside, slightly creamy on the inside.

• Author: zerrin
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 13-14

Ingredients

• 10 ounces farmers cheese (curd or ricotta works too)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5-6 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup extra flour to coat the pancakes before frying
• Vegetable oil or light olive oil for frying (3 tablespoons for each batch)

Instructions

1. Combine, farmers cheese with egg and vanilla extract until incorporated well. Add in sugar, salt and 5-6 tablespoons flour and wix well. Add extra flour if you think it’s still too wet or sticky.
2. Using a tablespoon, scoop the batter and drop it into flour. Coat both sides with flour and give it a small pancake shape. Repeat this until you finish all the batter.
3. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Fry the pancakes in batches until both sides are golden, about 2-3 minutes per side.
4. Serve warm with sour cream and jam or just with nutella.

Notes

Add the flour inthe cheese and egg mixture gradually. The batter should be thick enough to be formed in a ball shape. If you think it reaches that consistency after adding 2-3 tablespoons of flour, stop there. If you think it is still wet and sticky after 5-6 tablespoons, add a little more.