Vanilla Crepes

I’m very glad that I don’t have to take a trip to France just to enjoy wonderful crepes.

Actually, I really wish I could vacation in France, but traveling for crepes seems a bit excessive, so I’ve created a delicious alternative.

I love a good pancake. I’ve been eating them ever since I was a little girl, but sometimes I find myself wanting the pancake experience with less fluff and more finesse.

Wait, did you mean crepe? Yes, I most certainly did.

The crepe is the pancake’s older and more sophisticated cousin. You know, the one that lives on the Upper East Side and drinks pressed juice twice a day. I’ve concocted a wonderfully light crepe and vanilla sauce that will satisfy your sweet tooth without challenging your diet.

First, you’ll want to start with making the crepes. The sauce comes later, but trust me, it’s worth the wait. Before you can start cooking, you first have to assemble all your ingredients.

Now it’s time to throw everything in a bowl and mix until there are no lumps in the batter. Don’t be alarmed if the batter is runnier than a pancake batter. (Hint: It’s because we’re making crepes.)

Because crepes are so thin, they require your full attention during the cooking process so that they don’t burn. Heat up any large pan and keep it on medium heat. Spray it thoroughly with coconut oil spray. This is not the time to be stingy. The crepes are very thin, which makes it easier for them to stick to the pan if you don’t grease it up enough. Trust me, crusted crepe batter is no fun to clean up.

The best way to make sure you pour a good amount of batter into the pan is to fill up a ¼ measuring cup half way, or for people who are good at math, that would be a 1/8 cup. Let it cook for 20-30 seconds on one side, depending on the heat of your pan, then flip it over and let it cook for about 10 seconds. Again, the crepes are so thin that cooking them on one side will cook them through most of the way, so it takes less time to cook on the other side.

Once you have a finished crepe, slap a little butter (vegan if you choose) on top and set it aside on a plate where you will stack all of your crepes while you make the sauce. Place aluminum foil over them to keep them warm.

Making the sauce is the hardest part of this recipe because if you let it get to hot, you’ll have hardened caramel instead of sauce. First, assemble your ingredients, per usual.

Find a small pot and let it heat to medium heat. Drop in the butter, and allow it to melt but not bubble. Next, incorporate the sugar, or sugar substitute, and begin to stir. This is where things get tricky, if you let the sauce get too hot, it will harden into caramel, so it’s imperative that you maintain a medium to low heat and stir constantly.

Now it’s time to separate the yolk from the white. There are many ways to do this, and one is not better than the other. If you don’t know how, I recommend putting the egg in your fingers and shaking to let all the white run through until you’re left with the yolk in your hand. In a separate bowl, break up the yolk until it is smooth and incorporate into the sauce while you keep stirring.

Again, there is large room for error with this step because if you let the yolk sit there and get too hot, it will cook and you’ll have unpleasant chunks of cooked yolk in your sauce. That’s no good. Make sure you keep stirring while you add the yolk and maintain a medium to low heat. Once the yolk is incorporated, you should see the sauce begin to thicken. Now, it’s time to add the heavy cream or coconut milk. Keep stirring constantly while pouring the cream or milk slowly into the sauce. Maintain a medium to low heat. Notice a trend?

At this point, you should have a slightly thick, but not too thick, sauce that is golden brown. What makes these crepes vanilla is, well, the vanilla sauce, so add the vanilla extract into the sauce continue stirring. Once everything is incorporated, it’s time to add your sauce to the crepes. Bananas and blueberries work really well with this recipe, so I recommend adding some to your crepes.

After you have added the fruit and sauce, you have beautiful vanilla crepes! I’m certain you’ll love these tasty treats without all the expense of traveling to France. Enjoy!

3.0 from 2 reviews

Vanilla Crepes

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Liz Yount

Recipe type: Breakfast

Yield: 6 crepes

Ingredients

Crepes:

• 1 cup white whole wheat (or gluten free all purpose flour)
• 1 cup almond milk
• ¼ cup coconut sugar or erythritol
• 1 egg (or vegan equivalent)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter or vegan butter or unsweetened applesauce

Vanilla Sauce (see recipe note for vegan/low calorie version):

• 3 tablespoons butter or vegan butter
• ½ cup brown sugar (or erythritol plus ½ teaspoon molasses)
• ½ cup heavy cream or coconut milk
• 1 large brown egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Combine all crepe ingredients in a bowl, stirring until there are no lumps.
2. Heat a large pan over medium heat and grease with coconut oil spray.
3. Pour ⅛ cup crepe batter into the pan and let cook for 20-30 seconds on one side and 10 seconds on the other. Take off the pan and set aside. Repeat with remaining batter.
4. Heat a small pot to medium heat and incorporate the butter and sugar while stirring constantly. Add the egg yolk and heavy cream while stirring constantly. Add in the vanilla.
5. Top the crepes with fruit and vanilla sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

For low calorie vanilla sauce:
½ cup brown sugar (or erythritol plus ½ teaspoon molasses)
3 tablespoons mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce
½ cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Heat a small pot to medium heat and incorporate the butter and mashed banana or applesauce while stirring constantly. Add the almond milk while stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, stirring often. Add in the vanilla.

Nutritional information calculated using erythritol, applesauce, and low calorie vanilla sauce.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 crepes Calories: 86 Fat: 0.5 grams

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