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Blitzes are a fun and delicious Jewish Eastern European treat. People make all kind of flavored blintzes, some filled with potatoes, others filled with fruit, etc. My personal favorite are Cheese Blintzes. The almost sweet cheese filling is wonderfully delicious, especially when paired with a fruit sauce. Having made many different recipes, this is the best blintz recipe.
What are Blintzes?
On a spectrum of crepe to pancake, Blintzes fall close to the crepe end. They are, however, a little thicker than a traditional French crepe. They are technically cooked twice, first to cook (or partially cook) the crepe, then to cook again with the filling.
Blintzes are ideal for any meal, any time of year. Cheese Blintzes are especially ideal for the Jewish holiday Shavuot (where dairy is traditionally eaten) and for breaking the fast after Yom Kippur. They are pretty quick to make, and they freeze beautifully, allowing you to pop a couple out of the freezer and into the oven when the hankering arises.
Ingredients for Cheese Blintzes
Blintzes are actually quite easy to make and do not take many ingredients. Let’s first talk about the ingredients.
For the crepes:
- Eggs. The binding foundation of the crepes.
- Milk. Adds liquid and a softness to the crepes. Use whole milk, if possible. Avoid using nonfat milk.
- Flour. Provides structure to the crepes.
- Vanilla. Totally optional, but adds a nice flavor to the crepe to complement the sweetness in the filling.
- Sugar. Adds just a touch of sweetness and helps the crepe brown when it is cooked.
For the cheese filling:
- Farmer Cheese. This is the star of the filling for Cheese Blintzes. Farmer cheese is basically a drier version of cottage cheese.
- Cottage Cheese. Just a little cottage cheese to add in a drop more moisture to the farmer cheese and a little more texture to the cheese filling.
- Egg yolk. The binder of the cheese filling.
- Butter. A little melted butter adds flavor and also helps to bind the filling.
- Sugar. Adds a splash of sweetness and flavor.
- Salt. Helps balance all the flavors.
- Vanilla. Again, optional but highly recommended.
How to Make Cheese Blintzes
Prepare the Crepe Batter and Cheese Filling
For the crepes, combine all the wet ingredients into a blender and blend until well combined. (If you don’t have a blender, use a whisk.) Then add the flour and salt and blend just until the flour is no longer visible. It is a good idea to scrape down the sides of the mixer. Allow the mixture to rest for 30 minutes. While it’s resting, prepare the cheese filling by mixing all the ingredients together with a fork.
Cook the Crepes
I highly recommend using a frying pan with an 8-inch diameter bottom surface. My pans round up along the edges, so my 10-inch pan is what I use. The bottom surface of my 10-inch pan is 8-inches.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat with just a pat of butter to cover the surface. Pour approximately ¼ to ⅓ cup of batter into the heated pan and tilt it to spread the batter evenly throughout the bottom surface. Cook until the tops seem dry and the underside is nicely browned, approximately 1-2 minutes. Remove the crepe from the pan and place it cooked cooked side up onto a plate. Continue cooking, stacking the crepes on top of each other, until all the batter is used.
Shape the Blintzes
Place a crepe onto your countertop or work surface with the cooked side up. Pipe or spoon approximately 2 Tablespoons of cheese filling in the bottom third of the crepe. Fold the crepe up so the filling is covered. Fold in the left and right sides. Then fold the top over. You can refrigerate or freeze the cheese blintzes at this point if you want to cook them later. If you’re having trouble shaping, be sure to check out the video that accompanies this post.
Cook the Cheese Blintzes
Heat the same frying pan with another slab of butter. Cook the blintzes on each side until golden brown. You can serve them immediately or you can refrigerate or freeze them. To reheat, place them into an oven at 350° F for approximately 10-15 minutes.
Blintz Blueberry Sauce
While you can certainly enjoy cheese blintzes as they are or just topped with some powdered sugar, I highly recommend the blueberry sauce with this recipe which is very easy to make and really enhances the flavor of the blintzes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Making Cheese Blintzes
Do I need to use an 8-inch skillet to make blintzes?
No. You can use any size that you wish. An 8-inch surface area is an ideal size though.
Can you freeze cheese blintzes?
Absolutely. You can freeze cheese blintzes just after shaping them. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and then cook as directed. Alternatively, cook them, then freeze them. To reheat, just pop them in the oven at 350° F for approximately 15-20 minutes.
Cheese Blintzes
Ingredients
Crepes
- 367 grams whole milk (1½ cups)
- 6 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 180 grams all purpose flour (1½ cups)
- ¼ + ⅛ teaspoon salt
Cheese Filling
- 340 grams farmer cheese (12 ounces or 1½ cups)
- 114 grams cottage cheese (4 ounces or ½ cup)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (at room temperature)
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- pinch salt
Blueberry Sauce
- 2¼ cups blueberries, divided (fresh or frozen)
- 75 grams sugar (⅓ cup plus 2 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- small pinch ground cloves
Instructions
Crepes
- In a blender, blend the milk, eggs and vanilla (if using). Add the flour and salt. Blend, just until the flour is no longer visible. You may need to scrape down the sides of the mixer to make sure all the flour is fully absorbed. Keep the cover on and allow the mixture to rest for 30 minutes.
Cheese Filling
- In a large bowl, mash the cheeses together with a fork until well combined. Using the fork, mix in the yolk, melted butter, sugar and salt.
Blueberry Sauce
- Measure out ½ cup of the blueberries and set aside. Add the rest of the blueberries and all of the remaining ingredients to a large saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring occassionally. Once the sugar is all dissolved, increase the heat to medium-high. Boil the mixture for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the remaining ½ cup of blueberries.
Shape and Cook
- With medium heat, melt ½ Tablespoon of butter in a skillet or frying pan with an 8-inch diameter cooking surface. When the butter is bubbling, pour approximately ¼ to ⅓ cup of batter into pan. Tilt the pan to spread the batter evenly throughout the bottom surface. Cook until the tops seem dry and the underside is nicely browned, approximately 1-2 minutes. Place the cooked crepe cooked side up on a plate. Continue cooking until all the batter is used, stacking the crepes on top of each other. If crepes start sticking to the pan, add a little slab more of butter to the pan.
- Place a crepe, cooked side up, on your work surface. Pipe or place approximately 2 Tablespoons of cheese filling in the bottom third of the crepe. Fold the crepe up (with the filling on it) so that the filling is covered by the crepe. Fold the sides over to the middle, then fold the top over the rest of the crepe. Continue filling and shaping the rest of the blintzes.
- Heat ½ Tablespoon of butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Once bubbling, add 2-3 blintzes at a time. Cook until golden brown, approximately 1-2 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is golden brown.
5 Comments
These are amazing! It was my first time making blintzes, and I never realized that truly fresh blintzes are the most delicious things in the entire world.
One of my favorite brunches ever. Homemade is SO much better than anything I’ve had from the store.
Wow! Absolutely delicious. I had these at a friend’s and always wanted to make them. So glad I found your recipe! Loved it!
These Cheese Blintzes are amazing! The perfect blend of the cheesy creaminess and sweetness! You were right—the blueberry sauce was chef’s kiss! And added so much flavor!
These were so delicious. You’re right — they are more like a crepe, but I really enjoyed the thickness!