Amaretti-Mascarpone Pancakes

by Cindi Sutter, Founder of The Spirited Table® - Recipe adapted from Mario Batali, La Sirena, New York, NY

Whether it be chocolate chips or blueberries, we love to mix things into our pancake batter. So you can imagine our excitement when we heard about Mario Batali's mascarpone-and-amaretti cookie pancakes at his newly opened restaurant, La Sirena, in NYC—where the superstar chef is serving breakfast for the first time. The crunchy almond cookies are also grated on top of the pancakes tableside before the flapjacks are drowned in maple syrup. It's pretty much pancake perfection.
Making pancakes can be tricky. We have the most important part (the batter) measured out perfectly, so the only thing you need to worry about is cooking them. Make sure the pan is hot and lightly greased, so when you pour the batter into the center of the pan, it ever so gently sizzles. When the batter begins to bubble at the top, you know the pancake is ready to flip. You'll end up with a tall stack of beautifully golden pancakes that will disappear as quickly as you can make more.
To learn more, read "The Griddle Ages."

Yield: 12 pancakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
 

Ingredients
3¼ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
1¾ cups whole milk
½ cup mascarpone
⅓ cup buttermilk
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and divided
1 tsp amaretto
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 eggs, separated
1 cup crushed amaretti cookies, plus more for garnish
Maple syrup, for serving

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt until incorporated, and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, mascarpone, buttermilk, 1 tablespoon of the melted butter, the amaretto, vanilla and egg yolks until smooth. Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, then carefully fold them into the batter, along with the crushed amaretti cookies.
3. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat ½ tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add ½ cup of the batter to the pan and cook, flipping once, until golden brown and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Add more butter as needed when cooking the remaining pancakes.
4. Divide the pancakes between plates and garnish with more crushed amaretti cookies, then serve with maple syrup.