Breakfast/ Pancakes and Crepes/ Sweet Breakfast Ideas

Apple crepes

7 November 2020 | Last Updated: 1 April 2022 By Aleksandra

These delicious apple crepes make a perfect fall breakfast! Made with the best crepe recipe (thin, easy to turn over, with lacy, crisp edges) and soft and saucy cinnamon sautéed apples. They can be easily made ahead or reheated.

We also love these chocolate crepes or savory cheesy vegetable crepes!

Apple crepes on a blue plate, topped with sauteed apples and cinnamon sticks.

Ingredients:

I’ve long searched for the perfect ingredient ratios for crepes. It really makes a difference! My perfect crepes are thin, easy to turn over, soft and easy to roll up but also have crispy thin, lacy edges.

To make crepes you’ll need:

Flour – I used plain all purpose flour. I haven’t tested this recipe with other flour types.

Eggs – 3 large eggs make the crepes more elastic and easier to turn over.

Milk – I used cow’s milk but you can also use any plant-based milk, like almond or oat milk.

Butter – butter added to the crepe batter makes them more soft, delicious, and easier to turn over.

Sugar – you can use any type of sugar – white sugar, brown sugar, or other sugar alternatives like xylitol or even maple syrup. If you’re making savory crepes you can omit it.

Salt – a pinch of salt enhances the sweetness.

Labeled ingredients for crepes.

To make cinnamon sautéed apples you’ll need:

Apples – you can use any apple variety but I prefer to use sweet and soft apples. Soft apples will soften more quickly and their sweetness is balanced with the addition of lemon juice. I used Gala apples with this recipe. If you’ll use sour apple you may need to add more sugar. If you’ll use crisp apples, it may take longer to soften them.

Sugar – you can use any type of sugar – white sugar, brown sugar, or other sugar alternatives like xylitol.

Seasonings: Vanilla extract + Lemon juice – these two make an amazing combo with the apples, these are for me the two most important seasonings for apples, cinnamon also goes well but is optional!

Butter – you can use coconut oil instead.

What could you also add: a splash of apple liquor like calvados.

Labeled ingredients for sauteed cinnamon apples.

How to make apple crepes step by step:

A collage of 3 photos showing crepe batter preparation steps.

STEP 1: Make the crepe batter:

  1. Simply whisk all the ingredients. You can do that with a hand mixer, an immersion blender, food processor, or even by hand. I prefer to mix the batter with a hand mixer – it’s more smooth. If you’ll whisk the batter by hand it will have small lumps, but this is also ok.
  2. Leave the batter to rest for 30 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic foil or a kitchen cloth. This is optional, you could also cook the crepes straight away but leaving the batter to rest makes cooking the crepes easier – they are more elastic and less prone to break.
A collage of 3 photos showing sauteed cinnamon apples preparation steps.

STEP 2: Make the sauteed cinnamon apples:

  1. Peel, core, and cut the apples into cubes.
  2. Melt the butter in a pan, add the apples and all the other ingredients (cinnamon, vanilla extract, lemon juice, sugar).
  3. Cook until the apples are soft and saucy (if they look too dry add some water to the pan).

Cooking time will depend on: how many apples are in the pan and how big your pan is, and also from the apple variety – it will take shorter with soft apple variety and longer with crisp apples.

Make sure to season your apples to your liking, this will also depend on what apple variety you’ve used. Sour apples may require more sweetener and less lemon juice.

Cooking crepes in a crepe pan.
Cooking crepes in a crepe pan.

STEP 3: Cook the crepes:

  1. Brush the pan with a small amount of butter (I’m only adding the butter before the first crepe). The pan should be well heated, I’m cooking my crepes over high heat. Holding the pan in the air (it shouldn’t be on the burner), pour in the batter, tilting the pan simultaneously until the batter evenly coats the bottom of the pan. Place the pan on the burner and cook for about a minute.
  2. The crepe is ready to turn over when its edges look dry and lacy and its bottom is golden brown.
  3. Slide the spatula under the crepe (make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan) and flip it over.
  4. Cook on the other side just briefly, for about 10 seconds, until set. Transfer on a plate.
A collage of 3 photos showing folding the apple crepes.

STEP 4: Assemble the crepes.

Place 2-3 Tbsp of the sauteed apples on each crepe. You can roll up the crepes or fold them into triangles.

Enjoy!

Close up photo of apple crepes on a blue plate topped with sauteed cinnamon apples.

What to serve with apple crepes:

I think they taste amazing on their own, but if you want to make them taste even more decadent, you can:

  • sprinkle them with powdered sugar
  • serve them with vanilla ice cream
  • or with whipped cream
  • pour salted caramel sauce over them
  • sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
  • sprinkle them with toasted almonds or caramelized almonds (like in this recipe for almond bundt cake).

How to make ahead, store and reheat apple crepes:

  • Can crepe batter sit overnight? Yes, the crepe batter can be made ahead. Store it in the fridge for up to 2 days, whisk well before using.
  • The crepes can be cooked and then reheated. They make a great make-ahead breakfast. Make sure to wrap them tightly in plastic foil – if not they will dry out and be crumbly. Leave them on the counter for a while, they will be easier to separate from each other when warm, next reheat on a dry non-stick pan until warm.
  • Sauteed apples can be easily reheated in a pan – they taste like freshly prepared.
  • Crepes filled with apples can also be reheated – melt some butter in a pan, when hot and bubbling, add the crepes and cook briefly on both sides until warm and lightly golden.

FAQ:

How thin should crepe batter be?

Crepe batter should resemble the consistency of heavy cream. It should be very thin and not thick like pancake batter.

What is the best pan for cooking crepes and pancakes?

The best pan for cooking crepes and pancakes is a pancake pan. It has low rims which makes flipping crepes very easy. This recipe will work with any non-stick pan/skillet.

Why are my crepes hard?

The crepes has been cooked for too long. Try to cook them shorter.

Why my crepes are falling apart?

The batter is too thin, wrong ingredient ratios or the pan was not hot enough.

Apple crepes

These delicious crepes are filled with amazing apple filling. The apples are seasoned with cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon juice. They make an amazing fall breakfast or dessert.
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Apple crepes topped with sauteed apples on a blue plate.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 3 servings (9 crepes)
Calories 554kcal
Author Aleksandra

Ingredients

for the crepes:

  • 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cup (300g) milk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter melted
  • pinch of salt

for the apple filling:

  • 2 tablespoons butter 30g
  • 1.5 lbs (1350g) apples, preferably soft and sweet, 10 small apples
  • 3 tablespoons sugar 40g
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

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Instructions

make the crepe batter:

  • Add all the ingredients for the crepes into a medium bowl (flour, eggs, milk, melted butter, sugar, salt). Whisk until combined and smooth (although small lumps are ok), you can do that by hand, with a mixer, in a food processor or a blender.
  • Cover the bowl with a kitchen cloth or plastic foil and set aside for 30 minutes.

make the apple filling:

  • Peel the apples, cut into quarters, cut off the cores. Cut the apples into small cubes.
  • Melt the butter in a big frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot and melted add the apples. Don’t stir for the first minute or two.
  • Add all the other ingredients for the filling: sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and cinnamon.
  • Cook the apples, stirring from time to time, until soft. The cooking time will depend on the apple variety (soft apples will soften quicker) and the amount of apples in the pan (if you add more apples they will cook longer), this can take anywhere from 5-20 minutes.

cook the crepes:

  • Brush the pan with a small amount of butter (I’m only adding the butter before the first crepe). The pan should be well heated, I’m cooking my crepes over high heat. Holding the pan in the air (it shouldn’t be on the burner), pour in the batter, tilting the pan simultaneously until the batter evenly coats the bottom of the pan. Place the pan on the burner and cook for about a minute.
  • The crepe is ready to turn over when its edges look dry and lacy and its bottom is golden brown.
  • Slide the spatula under the crepe (make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan) and flip it over.
  • Cook on the other side just briefly, for about 10 seconds, until set. The crepe should be soft in the middle and a little crispy on the edges. Transfer on a plate.

assemble:

  • Place 2-3 Tbsp of the sauteed apples on each crepe. You can roll up the crepes or fold them into triangles.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • Ingredient notes:
    • Milk – I used cow’s milk but you can also use any plant-based milk, like almond or oat milk.
    • Sugar – you can use any type of sugar – white sugar, brown sugar, or other sugar alternatives like xylitol or even maple syrup.
    • Apples – you can use any apple variety but I prefer to use sweet and soft apples. Soft apples will soften more quickly and their sweetness is balanced with the addition of lemon juice. I used Gala apples with this recipe. If you’ll use sour apple you may need to add more sugar. If you’ll use crisp apples, it may take longer to soften them.
    • Instead of butter, you can use coconut oil.
  • How to make ahead, store and reheat apple crepes:
    • The crepe batter can be made ahead. Store it in the fridge for up to 2 days, whisk well before using.
    • The crepes can be cooked and then reheated. Make sure to wrap them tightly in plastic foil – if not they will dry out and be crumbly. Leave them on the counter for a while, they will be easier to separate from each other when warm, next reheat on a dry non-stick pan until warm.
    • Sauteed apples can be easily reheated in a pan – they taste like freshly prepared.
    • Crepes filled with apples can also be reheated – melt some butter in a pan, when hot and bubbling, add the crepes and cook briefly on both sides until warm and lightly golden.
  • Calories = 1 serving (3 crepes). This is only an estimate!
  • The recipe yields 9 (9-inch/23cm) crepes.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine French
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