Chocolate Crêpes Recipe

5 from 11 votes

Made with only 7 ingredients, the Chocolate Crêpes are easy to make but tasty unbelievably delicious. Perfect for breakfast or a Valantine's Day brunch.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: French

Servings: crêpes

Calories: 98kcal

Author: Emma Duckworth

Equipment

Crêpes Pan or frypan/skillet
Rubber spatula
Blender optional

Ingredients

Chocolate Crêpes

22 g cocoa powder
15 g unsalted butter
60 ml boling water
125 g plain flour
30 g granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs room temperature
420 ml whole milk

Crêpes Fillings Ideas

double cream (heavy cream) whipped
strawberries washed, hulled and sliced
melted 70% dark chocolate

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Make the batter by hand

Make chocolate slurry. In a bowl add the cocoa powder, butter, and boiling water. Mix until fully combined and the butter is melted.
Whisk the dry ingredients together. In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, and salt and whisk well to combine.
Whisk the wet ingredients together. In a separate medium-sized bowl, add the eggs, and whisk. Then add in the milk and whisk together.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix. Into the bowl with the dry ingredients, pour ⅓ of your egg mixture, and whisk until thick but smooth paste forms.
Add in the chocolate slurry, then whilst whisking continuously, slowly pour in the remaining egg mixture and mix until well combined. This can be done by hand or with a handheld electric beater for ease. The batter should be lump-free. (See tip in notes if you have lumps remaining).
Cover the batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 mins minimum but ideally for 1 hour (or overnight if making the batter in advance).

Cook the crêpes

Prepare the pan. Heat a crêpes pan or non-stick frying pan/skillet on medium heat on your stovetop for one minute. Lightly grease with melted butter wiping away any excess or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Cook the crêpes one at a time. Remove the batter from the fridge and give it a quick whisk. It can thicken as the flour hydrates, so add a little water to loosen it if need be.
Pour 60 ml (¼ cup) of batter into the center of the pan, and whilst lifting the pan, tilt it so that the batter swirls over the base and coats the pan's surface in an even layer. If there are any gaps, then just add a couple of drops to fill them in.
Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the edges start to dry out and brown and the underside of the crêpe is set and golden.
Flip. Slide a rubber spatula around the edges of the pan to loosen the chocolate crêpe all the way around. Slide the spatula underneath and flip the crêpe over. Cook for another 30-60 seconds until golden and slide the pancake onto a plate. Cover with a clean tea towel to keep the crêpe warm.
Cook more crêpes. Lightly grease the pan again if need be, cooking the remaining batter. Stack the crêpes one on top of another to keep them warm and soft. Serve warm or cool with a variety of fillings and toppings.

Notes

Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.

To store: Store cooled crêpes wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to four days.

To freeze: Place sheets of parchment or wax paper in between crêpes. Store in an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

To reheat: Reheat chilled or thaw frozen crêpes in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Alternatively, heat in a 160C (325F) oven for five minutes.

To fix a lumpy batter: Either pass the batter through a sieve pushing the lumps through as you go. Or use a stick blender or pop the batter in a blender, to whizz the lumps out of the batter.

To make the batter in a blender: Add the flour, sugar, and salt into the blender cup first. Then add the eggs, milk, water, and melted butter and blend for a maximum of 30 seconds resulting in a smooth batter.

Add a lid to the blender or decant the batter into a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-hour minimum.

Batch size: The recipe makes 12, 23cm (9-inch) pancakes but the recipe can easily be doubled.

TIP 1: Let the batter rest. The secret to perfect crepes is allowing the flour to absorb moisture and for the gluten to relax. Tender crêpes are a certainty after doing this.

TIP 2: Use a non-stick pan. Maximize your chances of success by using a non-stick pan.

TIP 3: Use butter in the recipe and in the pan. Not only does the butter help flavour the crêpes, but it also prevents the batter from sticking.

TIP 4: Keep an eye on the temperature of the pan. Make sure the pan is set over medium heat and heats up before cooking the first crêpes. The pan will continue to heat up as you work your way through the batter, so turn it down to medium-low if necessary.

TIP 5: The technique is everything. Once the batter is poured into the pan, tilting your wrist holding the frypan will help the batter swirl across the bottom evenly covering the base of the pan

Nutrition