For a change from classic Candlemas recipes, here are the fluffy swirl crepes that will impress your children! Melt-in-your-mouth crepes, as beautiful as they are delicious, with a stunning spiral marbled effect. You can use your favorite recipe or opt for Pierre Hermé’s crepe batter, which yields ultra-soft crepes and remains my favorite recipe! Fill them as you like: chocolate spread, jam, salted caramel butter, etc.
I filled them with pistachio spread and it was delicious! Let your taste buds guide you and fill them with whatever you fancy, like apples, pears, or bananas sautéed in a little butter, brown sugar, vanilla, or cinnamon. Serve them with custard for a tasty snack or Sunday brunch. Crepes can be enjoyed all year round; vary their appearance and filling to make it always a true moment of pleasure!
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How to create the swirls in the crepes?
The technique might seem difficult at first, but it’s actually very simple! Just prepare a plain crepe batter, then take about a third of it and add unsweetened cocoa powder to create chocolate stripes (this is what I did).
You can also reverse the colors: leave a small portion plain and add cocoa to the larger part of the batter. This will give you white stripes on a chocolate background. Use a cleaned ketchup bottle or a sauce bottle like this one.
Ingredients:
NB: You can find the printable recipe card at the end of the article
- 1/2 liter whole milk
- 200 g all purpose flour (7 oz)
- 4 eggs
- 3 g of fine salt (1 teaspoon)
- 20 g butter ( 0.7 oz)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 60 ml water (preferably mineral) (2 oz)
- 50 g powdered sugar (my addition, Pierre Hermé’s recipe doesn’t contain any. You can omit it or add more or less) ( 1.8 oz)
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) of rum or Grand Marnier (water for me) (1 oz)
- 10 g unsweetened cocoa powder (0.35 oz)
Preparation steps :
Mix the milk with the eggs, water, and vanilla extract in a measuring cup.
Mix the sifted flour with salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center.
Gradually pour the milk mixture into the center while whisking in a circular motion, starting from the center. Occasionally tap the edge of the bowl to make the flour fall to the center and obtain a smooth, homogeneous batter.
Once all the milk is incorporated and you have a smooth batter, add the melted butter, hot but not scalding.
Mix well.
Note: If you still have lumps, pass the batter through a fine sieve.
Take 250 g / 8.8 oz of plain batter and gradually add it to the unsweetened cocoa powder, mixing after each addition to avoid lumps.
Pour the cocoa batter into a sauce bottle or a cleaned ketchup bottle. Cover both batters and let them rest for 1 to 2 hours before cooking.
After the resting time, heat a frying pan over medium heat and grease it with a little butter using a paper towel or a brush. Mix the batter before using it.
Remove the pan from the heat and hold the bottle of cocoa batter above it. Create a spiral starting from the center to the edge of the pan.
Return the pan to the heat. The batter cooks almost immediately. If there are areas with raw batter, wait until they’re dry before pouring the plain batter.
Pour a small ladle of plain batter, tilting the pan to spread it evenly and cover the entire surface uniformly. Pour just enough batter to cover the bottom to get thin crepes.
As soon as the edges start to lift slightly, flip the crepe. If you want them to stay white without browning, remove them quickly from the heat. I browned mine a bit too much.
Stack the crepes on top of each other and cover them with a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft.
Spread a little of your chosen spread, slightly fold the two edges, then roll the crepe to form a roll.
Enjoy the soft swirl crepes cold, warm, or hot according to your taste.
If you want to enjoy them the next day and reheat them, preheat the oven to 150°C (302°F), then turn it off before placing the crepes in a dish. Leave them for about ten minutes. You can also reheat them in a hot pan, with the heat off, covering them.
Other recipes you might like
Fluffy French Swirl Crepes
EQUIPEMENTS
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 liter whole milk
- 200 g all purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 3 g fine salt 1 teaspoon
- 20 g butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 60 ml water preferably mineral
- 50 g powdered sugar my addition, Pierre Hermé's recipe doesn't contain any. You can omit it or add more or less
- 30 ml 2 tablespoons of rum or Grand Marnier (water for me)
- 10 g unsweetened cocoa powder
PREPARATION
- Mix the milk with the eggs, water, and vanilla extract in a measuring cup.
- Mix the sifted flour with salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center.
- Gradually pour the milk mixture into the center while whisking in a circular motion, starting from the center. Occasionally tap the edge of the bowl to make the flour fall to the center and obtain a smooth, homogeneous batter.
- Once all the milk is incorporated and you have a smooth batter, add the melted butter, hot but not scalding. Mix well.
- Note: If you still have lumps, pass the batter through a fine sieve.
- Take 250 g / 8.8 oz of plain batter and gradually add it to the unsweetened cocoa powder, mixing after each addition to avoid lumps.
- Pour the cocoa batter into a sauce bottle or a cleaned ketchup bottle. Cover both batters and let them rest for 1 to 2 hours before cooking.
- After the resting time, heat a frying pan over medium heat and grease it with a little butter using a paper towel or a brush. Mix the batter before using it.
- Remove the pan from the heat and hold the bottle of cocoa batter above it. Create a spiral starting from the center to the edge of the pan.
- Return the pan to the heat. The batter cooks almost immediately. If there are areas with raw batter, wait until they're dry before pouring the plain batter.
- Pour a small ladle of plain batter, tilting the pan to spread it evenly and cover the entire surface uniformly. Pour just enough batter to cover the bottom to get thin crepes.
- As soon as the edges start to lift slightly, flip the crepe. If you want them to stay white without browning, remove them quickly from the heat. I browned mine a bit too much.
- Stack the crepes on top of each other and cover them with a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft.
- Spread a little of your chosen spread, slightly fold the two edges, then roll the crepe to form a roll.
- Enjoy the soft swirl crepes cold, warm, or hot according to your taste.
- If you want to enjoy them the next day and reheat them, preheat the oven to 150°C (302°F), then turn it off before placing the crepes in a dish. Leave them for about ten minutes. You can also reheat them in a hot pan, with the heat off, covering them.
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