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Sometimes you just want pancakes for dinner. Or as a snack. Or second dinner, as we call it at our house, when you鈥檙e hungry for a late-night snack but you already ate dinner.

Typically, our family doesn鈥檛 eat breakfast foods for dinner all that often because we are a house divided when it comes to enjoying breakfast foods outside of morning time. Personally, I fall into the camp that breakfast is welcome and enjoyable at any time of day. So, when the opportunity arises, I鈥檓 always quick to pull out the griddle and start pumping out batches of pancakes and eggs.

My teenage sons are very into protein these days and often want to know how much protein is in their favorite foods. I genuinely appreciate they are starting to build an awareness for nutrient-dense foods, but I can鈥檛 help but roll my eyes when they choke down chalky protein shakes in the name of getting their protein in.

Personally, I think there鈥檚 much more enjoyable ways to get a little extra protein. Take these cottage cheese pancakes for example, packed with 15 grams of protein and still deliciously light and fluffy.

I was fiddling around with the recipe when I ever so unfortunately exploded the batter all over my kitchen. I didn鈥檛 notice the lid wasn鈥檛 quite tight enough on the blender and as I went to mix up the batter, it sent pancake batter literally flying. And when I say flying, I mean I had to wipe down cabinets, coffee pots, the bowl of apples, the floor, the kitchen island, not to mention I personally was covered.

But I鈥檓 happy to report, the second batch of pancakes turned out beautifully, no blender mishaps involved. Because I was recipe testing, I let my teens eat the pancakes as a snack before lacrosse practice. They gobbled down a couple pancakes and rushed out the door. I was happy to hear they felt full and energized for practice and asked if I would make another batch again soon.

Whether you need a quick snack before heading out the door or an easy meal at any time of day, this recipe fits the bill.

It鈥檚 a small batch, a bit different from my usual recipes, making just a couple of pancakes. That means no standing at the stove working through a large batch of batter. It also makes it easy to treat yourself to a quick snack or even a second dinner.

The recipe can be doubled or quadrupled to feed a crowd, or halved for one large pancake, golden brown and decadent.

Either way, you鈥檒l end up with a protein-packed pancake that doesn鈥檛 taste like it.

Add plenty of maple syrup and, most importantly, enjoy.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

鈥� 1/2 cup cottage cheese

鈥� 2 eggs

鈥� 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

鈥� 1 teaspoon baking powder

鈥� Tiny pinch of salt

鈥� 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

鈥� 1/2 tablespoon butter (for the pan)

鈥� Pure maple syrup

In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, eggs, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla in this exact order. Blend until smooth.

Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat or warm up your skillet to about 325 degrees. Add the butter to the pan and let it melt. Pour the pancake batter into the pan forming a pancake, cooking until bubbles form across the top, about 1-2 minutes. Flip and continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes.

Repeat (this batch will make 4 medium-size pancakes) until the batter is used up. To serve, transfer the pancake to a plate and add a dollop of salted softened butter to the top and drizzle with pure maple syrup.