Fluffy Cottage Cheese Oat Pancakes

Steps

1. Pulse the oats in a blender until finely ground, like coarse flour.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the ground oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. Melt half of the butter and let it cool slightly.
4. In another bowl, whisk the cottage cheese, milk, egg yolks, vanilla and the melted butter until mostly smooth.
5. Stir the cottage cheese mixture into the dry mixture just until no dry streaks remain; let it rest 10 minutes so the oats soften.
6. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks, then gently fold them into the batter in two additions to keep it airy.
7. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and grease it lightly with some of the remaining butter, adding a little more of that remaining butter before each batch until it is used up.
8. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles form and the edges look set.
9. Flip and cook 2 minutes more, until golden and the centers spring back and are cooked through to 160°F (71°C).
10. Keep cooked pancakes warm on a plate under a clean towel while you finish the batter, then serve.