These Cheese Blintzes will seriously change your life! They’re crepes filled with a blended mixture of cottage cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Lightly fried in butter, we top them with this easy strawberry sauce before serving.
Holidays, birthdays, or your Mother’s Day brunch will be that much more special when you put these on the menu, and everyone will fall in love!
This is a recipe I’ve become known for among family and friends, and I know you will, too.
People always ask me what my favorite recipe is on the blog.
Up until now, I’ve said my mother’s lasagna, these chocolate peanut butter dream bars (because they were the first of many), and my couscous chicken salad which the whole family loves.
There’s the pepperoni bread that I’ve been making long before I started the blog. The cream cheese cookies that my grandmother used to make when I was little bring back fond memories. They are a simple, yet delicious cookie. Then I have this summer favorite, strawberry spinach salad which is even more delicious when I add some diced grilled chicken.
Ok, so I guess you could say that I do have quite a few favorites. haha
But this one, these blintzes, have risen RIGHT to the very top of the list now that I’ve added this recipe to the blog.
SAVE THIS COTTAGE CHEESE BLINTZ RECIPE TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
I could go on and on about how much I adore this recipe, but you really just have to make it yourself to see.
And if there’s ONE recipe on this blog that I beg you to make, it is this one.
That’s because every single person who has ever eaten one of these moans and groans with delight and says it’s one of the, if not THE best thing they’ve ever eaten.
I kid you not.
I honestly can’t even take credit for it. I found it years and years ago in a supplemental cookbook that came with my Bon Appétit subscription.
I decided to try it because I had my mother’s crepe pan I hadn’t yet used, and the whole family couldn’t get enough of them.
Now, I’m going to be honest.
They’re fairly easy to make, they’re just dang time consuming!
Fortunately if need be, you can make crepes, filling, and sauce ahead of time. Then assemble, cook and serve the day of.
Ok, let’s not delay any longer since I’m SO very excited to share these with you!
What do I need to make blintzes?
- Crepes
- eggs
- milk
- pure vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- salt
- unsalted butter
- Cheese Filling
- cottage cheese
- granulated sugar
- egg and egg yolk
- pure vanilla extract
- Strawberry Sauce
- 16 ounces frozen strawberries, thawed
- sugar
- water
How do I make cheese blintzes?
-
Filling
- Start by draining the cottage cheese.
- Place a sieve over a bowl and line it with a double layer of moistened cheese cloth.
- Cover the surface with plastic wrap and place a heavy bowl on top. Allow to sit for a minimum of three hours.
- Place the drained cottage cheese, sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla into a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Start by draining the cottage cheese.
-
Crepes
- Cover a workspace with wax paper or parchment. You will place the crepes on here when cooked.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Gradually whisk in the milk, eggs and melted butter. Mix until smooth.
- Heat a crepe pan or small non-stick skillet over medium heat. Lightly brush with some melted butter.
- Using less than ¼ cup of the batter, steadily pour it into the center of the pan and as you pour, swirl the pan so that the batter covers the bottom surface.
- Cook for approximately two minutes. As the edges begin to brown, run a spatula along the sides to loosen it.
- With the spatula, gently loosen the crepe from the pan and flip the crepe over to cook for another 30 seconds at most. We just want it to brown.
- Slide the crepe out of the pan onto the wax paper.
-
Strawberry Sauce
- Thaw a 16 ounce bag of frozen strawberries. When thawed, gently crush the bag with your hands to break up the berries.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the berries, sugar and water.
- Heat until boiling and then reduce to medium low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often and watching carefully as it could overflow.
-
How do you fold up a blintz?
- To assemble, place one crepe on a plate and place one tablespoon of filling into the center. Fold up the bottom, then the left and right sides. Bring the top down and turn over. These can be placed on a separate plate as you cook them.
-
Cook
- Brush a large skillet with butter and add the blintzes. I can cook about 7 at a time in my 12-inch skillet.
- Cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes and then flip, cooking an additional two minutes on the other side.
- Serve with the strawberry sauce either on top or on the side.
Tips for making easy cheese blintzes – to come soon!
How to fold a cheese blintz.
Cheese Blintzes Recipe
Ingredients
Cheese Filling
- 24 ounces cottage cheese
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Strawberry Sauce
- 16 ounces frozen strawberries thawed in bag
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup water
Crepes
- 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups milk plus a small amount more if batter is too thick
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and divided
Instructions
Cheese Filling
- Line a sieve with a double layer of dampened cheese cloth. Place over a bowl and put the cottage cheese into the sieve on top of the cheesecloth. Line the surface of the cottage cheese with plastic wrap.
- Place a heavy object on top of the cheese. I use a heavy bowl filled with water - the weight helps drain the liquid. Allow to sit for a minimum of three hours. Does not need to be refrigerated.
- Once drained, place the cottage cheese, sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla into a blender. Mix until completely smooth.
Strawberry Sauce
- Gently crush the bag of strawberries to make the berries smaller. Or midway through cooking, use a potato masher.
- Into a medium saucepan over medium high heat, place the strawberries, sugar and water.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Crepes
- Line a counter with wax paper or parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.
- In another bowl or large measuring cup, mix together the milk, eggs, and one tablespoon of the melted butter. Slowly pour into the dry ingredients while continually whisking to make sure there aren't any lumps.
- Heat a crepe pan or small non-stick skillet over medium heat and lightly brush with some of the remaining melted butter.
- Using less than ¼ cup of batter, steadily pour the batter into the pan while swirling the pan to cover the entire bottom.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes. As they begins to brown, run a spatula around the edges to loosen them.
- Gently guide the spatula under the crepe to loosen from the pan and flip it over. Cook for an additional 30 seconds to a minute until golden and cooked through. Gently slide or flip from the pan onto the wax paper lined counter.
Blintz Assembly
- Place one crepe onto a large plate and place a tablespoon of the cheese filling into the center.
- Fold up the bottom of the crepe to cover the filling, then each side, and finally the top to look like a square.
- Cooking
- Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat and brush with melted butter. Gently place filled some blintzes in the pan, but do not overcrowd because you'll need to flip them.
- Cook until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes and then gently flip to cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Serve with strawberry sauce, sour cream or sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Nutrition
Can the blintzes be frozen before adding the strawberry syrup?
BW, honestly, I’ve never frozen them because they’ve always been eaten within a day, and I’ve never thought to do that beforehand. My guess it that you could. I suggest storing them in an airtight container with layers of the blintzes separated by wax paper, and then to thaw them at least 24 hours in the refrigerator before you plan on cooking them.
Please let me know how it goes, I’m interested in hearing!