A Cheese Blintzis one of my favorite breakfasts to enjoy. These thin pancakes are similar to crepes, except for they are stuffed with this incredible filling made with two different types of cheeses sweetened with sugar.
If that sounds as amazing to you as it does to me, I’ve got a few other recipes you’ll love too! Try these Crepes with Raspberry and Strawberry Sauce, this fantastic Nutella Crepe Recipe, and this gorgeous Choux Pastry Buttermilk Crepes. Seriously, you’ve got to pop over and look at that last one at least—it’s stunning!
What is a Blintz?
If you were simply lured here by the yummy photos and have no idea what a blintz is, that’s totally okay!
A blintz is a Russian or Jewish crepe that is very popular in both Russia and Ukraine. Essentially, it’s a crepe with a sweetened farmer’s cheese filling. Because farmer’s cheese (click the link for a simple 2 ingredient recipe) is harder to come by outside of Russia and Ukraine, it is often replaced with ricotta or rinsed cottage cheese. While not the same, it’s a good replacement.
What is the Difference Between a Crepe and a Blintz?
A crepe and a blintz are a variation of very thin pancakes. Crepes have French origin and blintz have a Jewish or Russian origin. Both are thin and, but Blintz is always filled and rolled while crepes can be served with fillings on the side.
Crepes can be filled with a variety of either sweet or savory fillings. Blintz, on the other hand, is almost always filled with sweetened cheese. Crepes are typically cooked once, while blintz is almost always cooked twice, once when the crepe-like pancake is made and the second time fried in butter with the filling.
Cheese Blintz Recipe Filling
As mentioned above, the traditional cheese blintz recipe is made with a cheese filling. This recipe has two different kinds of cheese inside—farmer’s cheese and cream cheese. The cheeses are mixed together with sugar and a bit of vanilla for an airy, creamy cheese blintz recipe filling.
How to Make Cheese Blintz
*For detailed recipe instructions see the recipe card bottom of the post.
If you’ve never made a blintz before, I’ll walk you through exactly how to do it. Like anything, it may take a bit of practice, but the reward is very much worth it!
Ingredients for the Cheese Blintz:
Flour, eggs, milk, and butter are your typical blintz ingredients, salt and sugar are added to enhance the flavor. The only difference in my recipe is that I use hot milk.
Using hot, instead of cold milk speeds up the gluten formation in the batter. Gluten formation is important since it builds a strong network of proteins that prevent the crepe from tearing as you try to flip it or remove it from the pan. So, heating the milk allows you to skip the 30 to 60 minute wait time that is usually needed to strengthen the gluten.
Start with the Blintz batter:
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together eggs, flour, salt, and sugar until combined and somewhat smooth.
- Add milk in 3 additions, whisking thoroughly after each until you have smooth and runny batter. Run it through a fine-mesh sieve if it still has clumps of flour.
- Add melted butter and whisk again for about 30 seconds to a minute until the butter is well incorporated and doesn’t float to the top.
- Fill a bowl with 1 inch tall sides with the blintz batter.
- Preheat the electric crepe maker (THIS is the one I use) and dip the skillet side into it for a couple of seconds. Invert the back and cook for about a minute or until you’re able to gently peel off the sides of the crepe with a spatula.
- Then, either transfer the crepe with a spatula onto a dining plate, or flip the blintz onto the dinner plate by inverting the crepe maker swiftly over a plate.
If you’d rather use a regular nonstick 8-inch skillet, just preheat it over medium heat, spray with nonstick spray or brush with butter, then pour 1/4 cups of batter and swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Cook until the top is no longer wet. Remove to a plate.
Repeat with the rest of the batter.
How to make the Cheese Blintz Filling:
- Mix the sugar, vanilla and cream cheese until creamy.
- Add the farmer’s cheese or rinsed and thoroughly drained cottage cheese and mix or whip until combined. If the mixture is too dry, add a tablespoon of milk at a time until the mixture is spreadable.
- Flip the stack of crepes brown side up.
- Add a medium ice cream scoop full of cheese blintz filling to the middle of the crepe and spread it around slightly.
- Fold the right and left side of the crepe towards the middle until the ends touch. Then make a couple of folds away from yourself until you have a rolled crepe.
- Add a pat of butter to a skillet and preheat it over medium heat.
Add the crepes and cook on both sides until slightly browned and crispy and the middle is heated through.
Transfer to a serving platter or serve it right away.
Here are some good topping options:
You May Like
Cheese Blintz Recipe
5 from 10 votes
A Cheese Blintz is a crepe stuffed with a delicious sweetened cheese filling. Serve it with sour cream and jam for a delicious breakfast or brunch.
Author: Marina | Let the Baking Begin
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Jewish, Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: Blintz, Cheese Blintz
Calories: 125 kcal
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 22 blintzes (*see notes)
Ingredients
Blintzes Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1cupall-purpose flour
- 1cuphot milk
- 1/4tspkosher salt
- 2Tbspgranulated sugar
- 2Tbspmelted butter
Blintz FIlling Ingredients
- 1lbfarmer's cheesethoroughly drained *See note 1 & 2
- 4ozcream cheese, room temperature or slightly warmed
- 1/4 cupgranulated sugar
- 1tspvanilla extract
For frying
- 4 tbspunsalted butter
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
How to make the Blintz Batter
In a bowl: In a large bowl whisk together 4 eggs, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 cup flour until combined and as smooth as you can get it. Add 1 cup of hot milk a little bit at a time while continuing to mix until completely incporporated.
OR In a blender: add all ingredients but the butter to the cup of a blender in the order they're listed. Mix on low speed until the batter is smooth. Then add 2 tbsp of melted butter and blend again for about 30 seconds.
How to cook the Blintzes
You can cook the blintzes in either an 8-inch nonstick skillet or an electric crepe maker.
To make the blintzes in a skillet: preheat an 8-inch skillet over medium heat, spray it with a nonstick spray or brush on some butter. Add slightly less than 1/4 cup of batter, then swirl the pan around until the bottom is coated. Cook the blintz for about 2-3 minutes or until the top is no longer sticky and cooked through. They will only be cooked on one side. Once the edges start to gain color loosen them with a rubber spatula and remove the crepe to a dinner plate. The yield: 12 blintzes. (See note 3)
<br></br>To make them in the electric crepe maker: Add the batter to the bowl that came with the crepe maker. Allow the crepe maker to preheat then dip the top into the batter for about 2 seconds. Next, set it on the counter and cook until the top is completely nonstick and cooked through. The blintzes are only cooked on one side. Loosen the edges of the blintz with a rubber spatula, then invert onto a dinner plate. Continue in the above manner until the batter is all used up. The yield from cooking them with a crepe maker will be about 22 blintzes, since they come out much thinner than cooking them in a skillet.
How to make the cheese blintz filling
Combine 4 oz of cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla extract and cream with a spoon or a mixer until smooth. Then add 1 lb of farmer's cheese and mix again. If the mixture is too thick (if your farmer's cheese is on the dry side) add a little bit of warm milk, a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is spreadable, but not runny.
FIll the Blintzes
If filling crepes made in a skillet add about 1 large ice cream scoopfull of filling to the middle and lightly spread.
If filling crepes made with a crepe maker (they're thinner) then add 1 medium ice cream scoopful of filling to the middle and slightly spread around.
Fold the right and left side of the blintz towards the middle, then make 3-4 folds away from yourself creating a pocket.
Crisp in butter
Add 1/2 tbsp of butter to a skillet and preheat over medium heat. Add the blintzes folded side down and cook over medium heat until golden in color in batches. Gently flip to the other side and cook the other side.
To serve
Add a couple of warm cheese blintzes to a plate, add a tablespoon of lightly sweetened sour cream and berry sauce or jam and serve warm.
Recipe Notes
Notes:
1. If you can not find farmer's cheese (sometimes called "amish cheese) where you live, you can make your own following the recipe HERE.
2. Farmer's cheese can be replaced with cottage cheese. To use cottage cheese you will need to get double the listed amount of farmer's cheese, rinse it in a sieve and let it thoroughly drain or even blot it with a paper towel. Extra moisture will mean runny filling.
Now you can use 1 lb of the drained cottage cheese for the filling.
2. One serving is about 3-4 crepes if they're made a crepe maker.
OR 2 crepes if they were made using a skillet.
Nutrition Facts
Cheese Blintz Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 125Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 52mg17%
Sodium 151mg7%
Potassium 39mg1%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 227IU5%
Calcium 24mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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