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Classic cottage cheese pancakes in a frying pan

Classic Syrniki (Cottage Cheese Pancakes)

The classic recipe for fluffy, tender syrniki! Fluffy syrniki aren't as easy to make as they look — they often come out flat or underdone. Here's the classic recipe for these little cakes, one that'll work even for a beginner cook!

Natalia Tsybulskaya

Recipe author

Classic cottage cheese pancakes in a frying pan

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Cottage cheese

300

Eggs

Salt

Sugar

Flour

Vegetable oil

100

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 26 % 12 g

Fats 55 % 26 g

Carbohydrates 19 % 9 g

316 kcal

GI: 0 / 0 / 100

Cooking method

Cooking time: 30 min

Step 1:

Gather all your ingredients. The secret to great syrniki is quality cottage cheese — always use the real thing, with no milk-fat substitutes. To my taste, syrniki are tastier made with a richer cottage cheese, around 9 to 18% fat. Use large, fresh eggs, ideally farm eggs. I like to fry syrniki in any vegetable oil, but butter or ghee work too.
Step 2:

Mash the cottage cheese with a fork. Judge by its texture: if it's grainy, it's best to press it through a fine sieve so the cottage cheese comes out smoother.
Step 3:

Crack the egg into the cottage cheese.
Step 4:

Stir everything together well with a fork.
Step 5:

Add salt and mix again.
Step 6:

Add the sugar. I use regular white sugar, but you can use brown sugar instead for a caramel note. This is also the point to stir in any flavorings you love — vanilla or vanilla sugar, or cinnamon. Kids especially love anything baked with the scent of vanilla.
Step 7:

Sift the flour (set aside 1 tablespoon for dredging). Don't skip the sifting — it aerates the flour so the finished syrniki come out lighter and more tender. I'd also suggest using first- or second-grade flour rather than the finest bleached white flour. Mix the batter well.
Step 8:

Take a little of the batter and shape it into a small patty.
Step 9:

Dredge it on all sides in the reserved flour. Repeat until you've used up all the batter.
Step 10:

Heat the oil well in a skillet. If you're using vegetable oil, use a refined one so it won't scorch. Add the syrniki and cook over low heat for about 7 minutes on the first side.
Step 11:

Then gently flip the syrniki and cook another 7 to 10 minutes. You may need to cover the pan with a lid to cook them through so the centers bake all the way.
Step 12:

Serve the syrniki for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or simply with tea. Enjoy!