Life is short…have dessert for breakfast. 😀
Okay, this is not really a dessert, but it could be. In fact, crepes are one of those versatile foods that can be sweet OR savory (cheese, mushroom, spinach, and chicken crepes are a favorite!).
My family loves fruit-filled crepes with a sweet cream filling. We have it for breakfast, as snacks, and they’re a special treat for dessert.
My youngest loves filling hers with Nutella and strawberries, but add some sliced bananas (oooh, and maybe some peanut butter too) for an Oh-My-Goodness flavor experience!
These crepes and tender and sweet all on their own, and do not taste eggy like the ones served in some restaurants.
Speaking of restaurants, I used to think that crepes were an indulgence we could only have at those popular breakfast restaurants. Not anymore. Crepes are really quite simple to make.
Have I tempted you enough to make some for yourself? No? How about now? 😀
So what are you waiting for? Head into that kitchen and get started. Here’s how to make it. (If you’re new to my blog, you will always find my complete recipe at the bottom of my post.)
For the batter, you’ll need the same basic ingredients you use to make pancakes — eggs, sugar, butter, milk, and flour. I also add a pinch of salt and vanilla extract my batter.
Place the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Beat it slightly with a whisk.
Add sugar to sweeten it a bit. If you plan on making savory crepes, I recommend decreasing the amount of sugar or omitting it completely.
Vanilla extract gets mixed in next. You could also use lemon extract, or some lemon zest instead of vanilla extract, but remember that a little goes a long way.
Add a pinch of salt to the mixture. Did you know that salt is a natural antioxidant? Salt also adds taste and helps bring out the flavors present in the flour and other ingredients.
Melted butter gets mixed in next. The butter serves two purposes in this recipe. It adds flavor, but it also helps the crepes not stick to the pan during cooking.
Whisk in the milk.
Next comes the flour. It may seem like you’re adding way too little flour for the amout of liquid. However, unlike pancake batter, the ratio of milk to flour is 2:1 for crepe batter, which makes a very thin batter.
Whisk until you get a smooth batter. A few tiny lumps of flour left in the batter are okay.
Set the batter aside while you heat up your pan. I recommend using a non-stick skillet. I use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet.
Lightly spray the pan with butter-flavored cooking spray (just to be on the safe side to ensure your crepes don’t stick to the pan). Pour 1/2 cup of batter onto the heated skillet.
Cook the crepe over medium-low heat; you may need to adjust the heat as you go along, turning it down or up, depending on how quickly the crepes cook.
Use a spatula to gently lift the edges. If the crepe feels like it is still stickng to the pan, let it cook for a little while longer. A telltale sign the crepe is ready to be flipped over is when you see it start to “wrinkle.”
Flip the crepe over to lightly brown the other side; this should only take a minute or less.
Continue making crepes until all of the batter is used up. This recipe makes 8 crepes (more if you use less than 1/2 cup of batter per crepe).
So now that the crepes are done, it’s time to make the filling. This recipe is for a sweet filling.
Cream together softened cream cheese and a bit of powdered sugar.
It should resemble cream cheese frosting at this point.
To lighten it up, mix in whipped cream. I use Cool Whip to make things easier. Hey, I’m all about making things from scratch, but sometimes semi-homemade is just fine. 🙂
Okay, so let’s see where we are in this endeavor.
Crepes — CHECK.
Sweet cream filling — CHECK.
All that’s left to do is fill the crepes with filling and your favorite fruit. We like — okay, we LOVE — fresh berries in ours.
Spread some filling down the middle of a crepe.
Add fruit, as much as you like.
Fold each side over the middle, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and ENJOY! 😀
Scroll down for my complete recipes.
- 3 eggs
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup flour
- 8-oz cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 8-oz cool whip
- Fresh berries
- Powdered sugar
- Butter-flavored cooking spray
- Place the eggs in a large mixing bowl; beat slightly with a whisk.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients for the batter. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour ½ cup of batter onto a heated skillet. Cook over medium-low heat until lightly browned on one side. Flip the crepe and cook the other side until lightly browned.
- Place the cream cheese and powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to mix until creamy.
- Mix in the Cool Whip.
- Spread some cream filling down the middle of a crepe.
- Top with fresh fruit.
- Fold the sides over the middle. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
