Crepes with Caramel Sauce Recipe

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Carrie Vasios

I've been making this caramel sauce for a long time. It's my mother's recipe, and it's good on everything. When I make it for its intended purpose—to top a chunky apple cake—I always make a big batch. A batch that I know will leave me with enough leftovers to eat cold, from the fridge, to dunk fruit in, and to drizzle over ice cream.

This time, I used the leftovers in a new way: as a sauce for crepes. If you've never made crepes before, I suggest finding a friend with a sense of humor and nothing to do on a Sunday morning. They're not hard, exactly, but they can be finicky. It's fun to attempt with a fellow novice; someone who will appreciate the undercooked, burnt, messy, occasionally frustrating journey. (A mimosa or two is encouraged.)

All you really need from the batter is a few thin, stretchy, buttery, golden crepes, and I promise, you'll get there. Even the not-so-perfect ones will be good when doused under a pool of this caramel sauce. And worst case, all you need is a spoon.

Note: This makes extra caramel sauce. It can be kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator for one week. It's excellent over ice cream. The crepe batter has a noticeable trait of salt to emphasize the caramel. If you're sensitive to salt, decrease to 1/4 teaspoon.

The crepe batter is adapted from Julia Child.

Recipe Details

Crepes with Caramel Sauce Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 2 hrs 30 mins
Serves 8 servings

Ingredients

For Crepes:

  • 1/2 cup cold milk

  • 1/2 cup cold water

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 3/4 cup (about 3 3/4 ouncesall-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For Caramel Sauce:

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

  • 1 cup (about 9 ounces) packed dark brown sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Assembly:

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Directions

  1. Make crepes: Place milk, water, eggs, and salt into the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse five times to combine. Add flour and butter and blend 1 minute. Place batter in refrigerator and chill for two hours.

  2. Make caramel sauce: Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in brown sugar. Bring to a full boil, stirring. Add salt and heavy cream, and bring to boil once again. Take off heat and immediately stir in vanilla extract.

  3. Assemble: Heat a large wide skillet over medium heat. Brush pan with melted butter. Ladle scant 1/4 cup batter into hot skillet and tilt the pan until batter covers the bottom evenly. Cook about 1 minute, or until golden on the bottom. Flip the crepe and cook for 30 seconds more. Remove crepe to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter. Fold crepes into quarters, drizzle with caramel sauce, and serve.

Special Equipment

Food processor or blender, skillet or crepe pan, pastry brush

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
387 Calories
23g Fat
43g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 387
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g 29%
Saturated Fat 14g 69%
Cholesterol 106mg 35%
Sodium 305mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 43g 16%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 32g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 69mg 5%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 115mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)