The Best Basic Crepes

The Best Basic Crepes with cinnamon sugar and lemon.

Kids make the best sous chefs. Correction. I make the best sous chef to kids. When given the freedom to take on a task bigger than peeling potatoes, I’ve found that most kids can really kill it in the kitchen. Whether they are scooping out cookies or whizzing a blender load of batter for the best basic crepes, they’re always learning and having a good time. The enthusiasm and confidence kids have in the kitchen is endearing, and a good reminder to not take things so seriously all of the time.

Whenever our cousins come to visit from San Francisco, the main agenda for the the kiddos and I is to bake together. We’ve made Coconut French Toast, Pancakes, cookies and cakes. This year, we went for it with crepes. We’ve all gotten a little older and our kitchen chops have matured over the past year, so we felt ready to try our hands at The Best Basic Crepes.

Sekani is now 12 years old, and if you count his hair, he’s taller than me. Anu is 6 going on 16 and still runs around at lightning speed. They’ve grown up in the heart of San Francisco and strut around Hayes Valley like they run the place, which they kind of do. They are two of the coolest kids/humans I’ve ever met and they’re living that SF dream lifestyle that tech bros pay 5k a month to experience. They are both creative, intelligent, energetic and kind spirits who find inspiration in every place they go, from the micro parklet in Hayes Valley to the kitchen of their Auntie Becky in Santa Barbara.

On this visit, they brought their own Cookbook for Kids. The first night they were in town we whipped up some White Chocolate Raspberry Blondies, which were nothing short of delicious. The next morning we went round and round on what to make. We finally settled on this recipe for Basic Crepes by Chef Ludo via Bon Appetit.

Crepes have always intimidated me and I am not sure why. Maybe it’s the Frenchness of it all. French = fancy, and I don’t do well with fancy. But, this recipe seemed straightforward enough and the kids were up for the challenge. Turns out, these crepes are easy-peasy once you get the hang of them! And even easier for me because the kids took the reigns while I sat back and sipped coffee. Sekani and Anu were slinging crepes like street vendors in France. They showed this recipe for The Best Basic Crepes who’s boss and cooked up perfectly thin and even crepes with crisp, lacy edges and just enough leoparding to add dimension and flavor. 

Once they had cooked up a fat stack of The Best Basic Crepes, we set out a make-it-yourself toppings bar with fresh berries, lemon, cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar and Nutella. We all fancied up our crepes to our fancy and blissfully scarfed them down as Pixel tried (and succeeded) to sneak bites under the table from the kids.

In making this recipe for The Best Basic Crepes, I was humbled by talent of these kids and the simplicity of the basic crepe. Both the crepes and the kids are approachable, adaptable and a downright fun. Like kids, we all need to trust ourselves in the kitchen a little more. This recipe for The Best Basic Crepes taught me that if you have eggs, milk, flour and a little creativity, you can have the best brunch spread imaginable in a matter of minutes. 

Sekani & Anu, my darling little cuzzies from San Francisco. Have you ever seen 2 cuter kids? No, you have not.

Anu and I just measured out the dry ingredients and she’s about to whiskthem together.

We make a pretty good team.

Some of us ended up busting out in a dance party while one of us did all of the work.

Anu has got serious crepe skills.

And Sekani was flipping em like nobody’s business. Skills, man.

A thin layer of batter spread evenly to the edges makes for the best crepes. It also helps to have a shallow crepe pan.

The Best Basic Crepes cook up best on a very shallow crepe pan, 9″-10″.

Keep the stack of crepes covered with aluminum foil or a kitchen towel to keep them warm while you cook the rest up.

We created a mini toppings bar for our stack of The Best Basic Crepes. I like Anu’s style here, all of the goods! Nutella was a good move.

I personally like my crepes very simple. Just a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, a dusting of powdered sugar and a spritz of lemon.

I mean, how great is that simple sweet combo on The Best Basic Crepes!

The Best Basic Crepes taste great any time of day. But I especially like them for breakfast with tea.

And the best basic crepes are pretty darn tasty with a pile of berries too.

The Best Basic Crepes

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• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 20 crepes

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Description

These paper thin, slightly sweet crepes with crisp lacy edges are the perfect vessel for topping, stuffing, rolling or folding in your favorite toppings. Keep it simple with cinnamon sugar and a spritz of lemon or lather them thick with Nutella and fat sliced strawberries, you can’t go wrong with The Best Basic Crepes.

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 2 1/3 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)

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Instructions

1. Blend eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla in a blender for a few minutes, until smooth and frothy. 
2. Add flour and salt and blend just to combine. Cover batter and chill at least 1 hour up to 2 days.
3. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high, then brush with melted butter. Ladle about ¼ cup of the batter into skillet and swirl to evenly coat bottom.
4. Cook the crepe until bubbles form on the surface and the edges are golden, lacy and crisp, about 3 minutes. 
5. Slide a spatula underneath the crepe to loosen and carefully flip over. Cook on the other side until a few brown spots appear, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, then transfer to a plate. 
6. Tent with foil to keep warm while you cook remaining crepes. Repeat with remaining butter and batter.

Notes

This recipe for the Best Basic Crepes has been adapted from the Basic Crepe recipe by Chef Ludo Lefebvre via Bon Appetit. 

The Best Basic Crepes are the perfect vessel for whatever toppings you crave. Try cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar with a spritz of lemon or Nutella with strawberries. The possibilities are endless. 

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Breakfast, Dessert
• Cuisine: French