Cottage cheese pancakes

• 2¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 (16-ounce) container cottage cheese
• 1¾ cup buttermilk
• 3 large eggs
• 4 tbsp melted unsalted butter, melted coconut oil or canola oil, plus more for cooking
• 3 tbsp maple syrup, plus more for serving if desired
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Berries, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Place the oats in a high-speed blender or a food processor and process until finely ground, like oat flour. A few bigger pieces here and there is ok. Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt, and process for a couple of seconds to combine.
2. Add the cottage cheese, buttermilk, eggs, melted butter (or fat of choice), maple syrup and vanilla extract. Process until everything is combined into a batter, about 1 minute. (Take care to avoid overprocessing, which can result in denser pancakes.) Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the blender if any oat flour clings to the sides. Allow the batter to rest for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken.
3. Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Line a sheet pan with a wire rack. Heat a large nonstick pan or griddle over medium, add enough melted butter to cover the bottom. When the melted butter is hot and shimmery, drop batter by ¼-cupfuls into the pan (you should be able to fit 4 pancakes on a large pan without crowding).
4. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on the bottom and bubbles appear on the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more melted butter as needed.
5. Serve pancakes with berries and a drizzle of maple syrup if desired.