Brown Butter Crêpes with Berry and Cheesecake Filling
These Brown Butter Crêpes with Berry and Cheesecake Filling make a sublime dessert or a most decadent breakfast! You decide.
Making Crepes can be daunting, but my mom made them without a special crepe pan and using her blender to make the batter. They were always made for a special Sunday brunch when they were on the menu. This version is much more gourmet, but not much more difficult than my mom’s version.
Why You Should Make Brown Butter Crêpes
- Serving crepes instead of buttermilk pancakes will make a memorable breakfast or brunch for your family!
- Brown butter adds a subtle nutty flavor to the batter which makes these crêpes out of this world!
- Who would ever reject crêpes rolled around a rich cheesecake filling for breakfast??? Especially topped with luscious ripe berries.
- If your kids are old enough, let them fold or roll the crêpes using the dreamy filling. Or help to pour the batter into the pan. You’re setting them up to cook breakfast for their families one day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crêpe is French for pancake. They are light, paper-thin, and can be plain or flavored. Crêpes can be used for breakfast, snacks, an entree, or dessert.
A well-seasoned crêpe pan is a treasure. The short sides make the crêpes easy to flip and a heavy bottom helps control the heat distribution. But any nonstick or seasoned cast iron pan will do.
Brown butter, or beurre noisette, is butter that is cooked to the color of a light hazelnut (which translates to noisette in French). The milk solids brown and develop a nutty flavor.
Fillings can be rolled into a crepe or a filling like jam or Nutella can be spread on the crêpe before folding it into quarters.
Tips for Making Crêpes
My mom taught us to make crêpes as teens, but our filling tended to be from an unglamorous can of cherry pie filling. In fact, I loaded up my youngest sister Maddy’s crêpe with SO much of that cherry concoction, that I think she’s sworn it off for life.
- Adding brown butter to the crêpe batter gave a wee bit of nuttiness to the pancakes.
- Have your crêpe ingredients at room temperature, if you have time.
- Use whole milk, if available, for the best results.
- I used a mixture of cream cheese, lemon, vanilla, and whipped cream along with a sprinkling of ripe berries and sliced strawberries to fill these, maybe a step up from the can of pie filling.
- I like using my blender for mixing the batter. So easy, plus it has a built in spout for pouring the batter! And to clean up, just fill partway up with water, add a drop of dish soap, and blend!
- Your crêpe batter needs time to rest for 5 minutes minimum, but the batter can be refrigerated for 24 hours, just cover with plastic wrap.
- You’ll need a good non-stick pan, 8-10 inches in diameter. A crepe pan is nice, too, but not necessary.
- Often when making any sort of pancakes, the first one isn’t perfect. It will still taste great, so you decide whether to use it to sample, serve, or discard.
- These crepes can be either an exquisite, decadent breakfast or a heavenly dessert. You decide.
If you’re new to brown butter, try these Brown Butter Snickerdoodles, Brown Butter Toffee Cookies, or Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
The Recipe: Brown Butter Crêpes with Berries and Cheesecake Filling
These Brown Butter Crêpes with Berry and Cheesecake Filling make a sublime dessert or a most decadent breakfast! You decide.
Ingredients
Crepes:
- 3 1/2 + tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 /2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk (use more to thin batter if needed)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cups flour
For filling:
- 4 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- Ripe berries of your choice
Instructions
- In a saucepan, cook the butter over medium heat, swirling it every few seconds, until melted and golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
- Combine the milk, eggs, and salt in a blender. Blend till mixed, then add the flour and blend until very smooth. Add the brown butter and blend for a few more seconds.
- Allow the batter to rest at least 5 minutes and up to one day (refrigerate if not using immediately).
- Batter should thicken but not be as thick as regular pancake batter. Thin as needed after resting period.
- Heat a crêpe pan or nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Grease with a little butter on a paper towel.
- Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into the center of the pan while tilting and turning it till a thin circle of batter covers most of the surface of the pan.
- Cook till the edges begin to dry and lift from the sides of the pan and the bottom browns, about 1 minute. Flip using a spatula or your fingers, and cook until the second side is browned, about 20 seconds more.Remove from pan and repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter as needed.
- To make filling beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, zest and vanilla. In another bowl, whip cream. Carefully mix together.
- Place spoonfuls of filling along center of crepe and arrange berries over cream. Roll up and garnish with berries. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 460Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 183mgSodium: 272mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 2gSugar: 11gProtein: 9g
