Blueberry-Ricotta flapjacks/pancakes

Since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved flapjacks (or what the rest of the world call pancakes/hot cakes) for breakfast. There’s something so indulgent and satisfying about a pile of warm, doughy flapjacks covered in a shiny, golden layer of syrup that instantly puts a smile on my face. As I’ve grown older (and hopefully wiser), I realised that although delicious, this is not exactly the healthiest way to start your day. So now I keep this as a breakfast to serve on special days or days where I feel like spoiling my family.

By adding ricotta to these flap jacks, they become fluffy and incredibly light (which makes it easier to eat more than you are meant to). I also love the addition of the beautiful blueberries. Not only are they a ‘superfood’ but they are also one of my favourite fruits. Sweet and just a tiny bit tangy, they’re the perfect thing to serve with a stack of flap jacks.

As mentioned, the only way to serve these are stacked high with a generous drizzle of syrup. Coffee, orange juice and the morning paper are all optional, but certainly recommended!

Makes approximately 12 flapjacks (depending on size)

150g flour
5ml baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg (I use extra-large free-range eggs)
125ml milk
50ml butter, melted
100g ricotta
fresh blueberries (to add to the frying flapjacks and extra to serve)
syrup, to serve

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
2. Combine the egg, milk, butter and ricotta in a separate bowl and mix well.
3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet.
4. Gently mix in the wet ingredients until you have a smooth batter.
5. Fry spoonfuls of the mixture in a warm, non-stick frying pan. Add a generous tablespoonful’s worth of blueberries to each flap jack (on the un-cooked side) before flipping over.
6. Remove the flap jacks from the pan and keep warm in a low oven until ready to serve.
7. Serve with syrup (I prefer Maple) and fresh blueberries.