Gooey, easy to make, and incredibly delicious, this simple crepe is a dessert you can't miss. I've eaten these thin pancakes filled with dulce de leche my whole life. They are quick to assemble, and you can make the crepes ahead. Or use store-bought ones if short on time.
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Incredibly gooey dessert
Once you have the French pancakes ready, this is a 2-ingredient dessert that can be put together in minutes.
I thought that if you had made homemade dulce de leche or bought a jar and are slathering it on toast or made a cheesecake with dulce de leche, I might as well give you another easy recipe to use the rest of the jar.
These crepes are usually served warm but are also good at room temperature. Just don't eat them cold.
Sometimes they have a dusting of powdered sugar or caramelized sugar on top. They're messy to eat as the caramel-like jam thins a little when heated. We share it as dessert a lot as it's very sweet and gooey. A few forkfuls might be enough.
This recipe is the Argentinian pancakes with dulce de leche, which refers to thin crepes, not thick American ones. The ingredients are pretty much the same, but the experience is another story completely.
I'm a raving fan of this sweet jam, as you might already know. Being from Argentina, we eat it like there's no tomorrow.
French crepes
We call them pancakes. If making fluffy ones for breakfast, we refer to them as American or thick pancakes.
They're quite easy to make, and the difference is that the batter is very thin. They can be made ahead and kept refrigerated for a few days or frozen for several weeks.
We have a whole post about how to make French crepes, with more photos and detailed instructions.
I like to use a silicon pancake spatula when making crepes. Since my crepe griddle is non-stick (as most are), I don't use my regular metal spatulas.
Filling the crepes
Type of dulce de leche: you can use either one. I like the regular type, which is more fluid. The thick one (used for fillings as it holds better, like shortbread alfajores or this birthday cake) can also work, but it's harder to spread and sometimes too thick.
Family style: you can place them in a baking dish like you would taquitos or enchiladas, warm them all together and serve them from there.
Individual pancakes: or have the crepes warm and fill them as needed. Or eat them at room temperature; they're also great.
Rolls or triangles? The traditional way here is rolled. Triangles are more French. Both work; whatever suits you is fine.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
You want a thin layer of dulce de leche, almost as thin as the pancake. When you roll or fold them, it'll be enough filling. Trust me, you don't want to go overboard.
Kitchen Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, utensils and equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Filling: you can make your own dulce de leche with a can of condensed milk, which is extremely easy. Or you can easily buy it online. I like dulce de leche Chimbote, dulce de leche Cachafaz, and San Ignacio milk caramel spread.
- Refrigerating crepes: store them for a few days in an airtight container, separated with freezer sheets (or similar).
- Make ahead: you can freeze crepes. You must separate them individually with freezer sheets or you'll regret it when you try to separate them after thawing. And keep them covered in a freezer-safe container or bag.
- Serving: they're traditionally served warm but are also good at room temperature. Add some fresh strawberries or raspberries on the side to cut through so much sweetness. Whipped cream in addition to dulce de leche is not how we eat it, but the flavor trio is fantastic.
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Dulce de Leche Crepes
Ingredients
Crepe batter:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup whipping or heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, to cook the crepes
To assemble:
- 2 to 3 cups dulce de leche, use homemade dulce de leche or store-bought dulce de leche
- ¼ cup powdered sugar, to sprinkle, optional
Instructions
Crepe batter:
- In a bowl, stir ¾ cup all-purpose flour and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Add 2 eggs and mix until you have a paste. Gradually add 1 cup whole milk while whisking and mix well. Do it little by little so there are no lumps.
- When you have a smooth mixture, add ⅓ cup whipping or heavy cream and stir to integrate. Let stand for 1 hour at room temperature.
- Heat the pancake griddle or non-stick skillet over low heat.
- Add a smear of butter before each crepe. Use about ¼ cup of preparation for each crepe.
- Cook for 40 seconds to 1 minute on the first side; when the surface is filled with bubbles and the edges are firm, turn the crepe over and cook for another 15 to 20 seconds. A pancake spatula is a good tool for this.
- Place them on a plate, stacking them irregularly so that it is easier to separate afterwards.
- They can be kept in the fridge, well wrapped in plastic for a couple of days or frozen, with dividers between each one, for 1 month.
Dulce de leche crepes assembly:
- Place crepes on a flat working surface, fill them along the center with about ¼ cup dulce de leche each, roll them up to encase the filling and arrange them side by side on a baking dish. You can do rolls or triangles.
- Warm them in a medium oven (325°F or 165°C) for a few minutes.
- Sift over them about ¼ cup powdered sugar before serving. Don't overdo it, it's a light sprinkle. Be careful as the dulce de leche might be hot; you don't want to burn your tongue.
- Another way is to sprinkle with ⅓ cup granulated sugar and broil in a hot oven (400°F or 200°C) for a few minutes until caramelized. Be careful as the dulce de leche and sugar will be very hot; you don't want to burn your tongue.
Baker Street says
I agree. Crepes can be great with a sweet or savory filling but this one sounds just heavenly! Gorgeous pictures, Paula.
Eftychia says
Delicious!!! Simply delicious!!