Confession #145: I have a thing for crêpes...Easy Nutella Crêpes

Today I wanted to share something new. (In addition to these crêpes, of course.)

Meet Maggie.

She's my little sister, the girl I've spent half my life arguing with but couldn't live without, occasional hand-model and video-taker for the blog, and the pickiest taste-tester I have. We fight over a million things but bond over Nutella Crêpes, and this recipe is one of the very few things I can make for her on any given day that she'll never turn down.

Nutella Crêpes were one of those things that we discovered when we were younger, and ever since then, it's been one of the few foods we both love, like clean-the-plate-and-lick-the-fork love. Food is usually just another one of those areas where our opinions differ, but one thing we share is a total weakness for Nutella Crêpes. Want to know our secret? Tons of Nutella, a good dusting of powdered sugar, and nothing else. No strawberries, no bananas, just Nutella.  I'm all for being adventurous when it comes to food, but if I never had crêpes with anything but Nutella for the rest of my life, I'd be 100% okay with that.

I've been making and tweaking this crêpe recipe for more than a year now, because crêpes are weird and finicky and I'm a perfectionist and if I was going to ever post Nutella Crêpes, they had to be easy and delicious and perfect (said me). Maybe it was the fact that these finally got my pancake-hating mom to eat crêpes, or maybe it was just that I've finally stopped tweaking, but I decided that it's time for the recipe to be out there. 

As much patience as I can have for baking, I need a crêpe recipe that's fast, easy, and instant (aka no hour-long batter resting). Plus, I never want to make a huge batch because I really think crêpes are best fresh, and I definitely don't need extra crêpes sitting in the fridge waiting to be stuffed with nutella and devoured. (I would like to think that I do need that, but I don't.) I love this recipe because it meets all those requirements and still churns out some dang delicious crêpes.  The crêpes are light and tender, with slightly crisp wafer-thin edges and a sweet vanilla flavor. As much as they actually do taste good on their own, or filled with whatever combination of flavors you can think to pack inside, I'm with my sister on this one and totally loyal to the nutella-powdered sugar combo. When they're served warm and oozing with nutty chocolate goodness, breakfast doesn't really get much better.

Easy Nutella Crêpes

• Yield: about 4 crêpes 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• ¼ ounce (½ tablespoon) butter, plus extra for pan
• 2 ⅛ ounces (½ cup) all-purpose flour, sifted
• 3 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 4 ¼ ounces (½ cup) milk
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons nutella per crêpe*
• powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Warm a large (at least 10") skillet or crêpe pan at just below medium heat. Let it heat up for about 10 minutes while prepping crêpe batter.
2. Melt butter in the microwave (approx. 15-30 seconds) and let cool briefly.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large measuring glass, or any vessel with a pourable spout.
4. In a separate, microwave-safe bowl or measuring glass, whisk together the milk and egg until smooth. Microwave for 30-45 seconds total at 10-second increments, whisking in between, until the bottom of the bowl no longer feels cold. Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla until smooth.
5. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry while whisking and whisk until the batter is smooth, with no lumps, making sure to mix in any flour sitting on the bottom of the bowl.**
6. Carefully rub hot pan with butter and wipe off with a paper towel. Measure out a scant ⅓ cup of crêpe batter and, lifting pan from stove, pour batter onto pan and quickly swirl around to cover bottom. Patch any holes with a bit of extra batter if needed. Cook just until bottom side of crêpe turns golden, usually about 30 - 60 seconds. Flip with a large flat spatula and cook until second side turns golden. (The second side will always look more like a tortilla - golden-brown in spots rather than evenly all over).***
7. Remove from heat, spread on nutella and fold. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
8. Cook remaining crêpes in the same manner as above. Pan does not need to be buttered again unless you find that the crêpes are sticking. Crepes can also be stacked on a wire rack and reheated briefly once all are cooked and ready to serve.

Notes

*Nutella can be heated in the microwave for about 15 seconds to make it easier to spread on the crêpes.

**At this point, crêpe batter can also be covered and refrigerated to cook later.

***If your first crepe isn't perfect, don't worry! It's just because of the way the batter reacts to the butter left on the pan. However, if your crêpe is setting before you have the chance to swirl it around the pan, lower the heat slightly, and if the crêpes are taking too long to cook, increase the heat.

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