Homemade Crepes

Crepes are a thin French pancake. Pancake like batter but much thinner, folded and rolled with filling and toppings once cooked to enjoy for breakfast or dessert.

My boys absolutely love crepes of all kinds. Especially as dessert or a treat. The queen of crepes is my younger sister. She's the baker of the family and makes all the fancy French specialties like crepes, macarons, rolled cakes, etc. I bake and cook but not as precisely as her.

Although, I've taken my hand at these thin decadent crepes after she moved away and the boys started missing her crepes. I found a few tricks along the way to make the processes easier. And here I am to share them with you!

A few tips:

Blending the crepe batter ensures a smooth mixture.
Allowing the batter to rest for at least 20 mins is key to allowing the gluten to relax and any air bubbles to dissolve.
The batter can be made ahead, the night before and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a crowd or for growing boy appetites (less dishes and mess the next morning).
You can also cook and assemble the crepes in advance by lining them in a buttered oven safe dish, cover and store in the fridge the night before and pop them to heat through in the oven, again for suhoor, easy breakfast or a crowd.

Here's my basic Crepe recipe:

makes 10 crepes

Ingredients:

1/2 c. Lukewarm water
1 c. Milk
4 eggs
4 tbsp butter
1 cup flour

**Pinch of sugar and salt may be added if desired.

Method:

Blend or whisk all ingredients.
Allow the batter to rest for at least 20 mins or overnight.
Butter and heat your 9" pan.
Pour a 1/4 to 1/2 c. of batter at a time .
Swirl around to coat a thin layer in your pan.
Let it cook through for 1 to 2 minutes.
Flip and cook on the second side for 30 seconds.
Serve with filling and toppings of choice.

Folding:

There are 3 different ways I fold my crepes: Triangle, Burrito & Cigars. My boys love the Cigar shape the most because they can take them on the go this way, and its easiest to eat for little hands.

Triangle: Spread your filling on half the crepe, fold in half to make a half moon. Now fold both ends over each other to the middle to make a triangle shape.
Burrito: Spread the filling over half the crepe, add your chunkier veggies or fruits towards the center. Roll the bottom of the crepe over the filling, fold in the side edges to the center over each other, then roll up to the top end of the crepe.
Cigar: Spread the filling on half of the crepe and tightly roll the crepe up like a thin rolled cigar.

Topping & Filling Ideas:

Nutella & Berries
Peanut Butter & Bananas
Peanut Butter & Nutella with Bananas (reese's inspired)
Peanut Butter Jelly
Lemon Ricotta with Blueberries
Caramel Date Nut (pitted dates blended with cinnamon, rolled and topped with caramel, pecans and cinnamon sugar powder)
Caramelized Bananas, Cinnamon & Pecan
Malai (clotted cream) & Honey
Savory Goat Cheese, Egg and Chives
Spinach, Mushrooms, Eggs and Hollandaise Sauce
Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato, Pesto & Spinach
Garlic Hummus, Tomato, Pickles & Olives

With Ramadan around the corner these are one of my go to's during the blessed month. I love making these ahead of time and they are a go to during Suhoor or for dessert. For Suhoor I assemble and have them ready to just quickly microwave or pop in the oven for my boys.