This recipe is part of the Made–To–Order Recipe Series. The Made–To–Order Recipe Series introduces a standard recipe with countless potential variations, along with several suggested preparations to choose from. The standard recipe will equip you with the blueprint and inspiration to customize the recipe to your taste and preferences. After making one of the variations from The All Purpose Kitchen, I encourage you to put your own spin on the recipe and make it yours, Made–To–Order. For an in depth description of the crêpe making process, how to fill crêpes, and how to store crêpes, head over to the Crêpes Made–To–Order Recipe.
There is no denying that nutella and crêpes are a classic pairing. Nutella may even be the most quintessential crêpe topping there is. In fact, my first ever introduction to nutella was on a crêpe. So ask me if I love nutella … I would gladly eat it by the spoonful. Adding nutella to a hot crêpe warms it just enough to spread evenly and fill your crêpe with oozy chocolatey–hazelnut goodness. Then you’re ready to let your taste buds do a happy dance.
Adding fruit isn’t just an excuse to say that the combination is slightly healthier, but adds a fresh, tropical note to balance out the decadent nutella. Nutella and banana are a classic combination of toppings that you’ll find on most crêpe stand menus, but feel free to swap out the banana for your fruit of choice. Any berry, tropical fruit, or stone fruit will be delicious as well.
For more crêpe variations check out these recipes as well:
- Crêpes Made–To–Order Recipe
- Crêpes with Fresh Berries and Maple Syrup
- Crêpes with Brown Sugar and Bourbon Peaches
- Crêpes with Egg, Cheddar and Sautéed Spinach
- Parmesan Crêpes with Pesto, Sun–Dried Tomato, Mozzarella and Prosciutto
- Crêpe Cake with Maple Buttercream
The More You Know (About Nutella)
Nutella is a wildly popular product, with a cult–like following, dedicated cafes, its own international day, a guiness world record, and anniversary celebrations. Each year 365,000 tons of Nutella are produced and distributed to 170 countries. The hazelnut cream spread is produced by the Ferrero Group, which also owns Ferrero Rocher, Kinder, and Tic Tac. Ferrero is based in Piedmont, Italy, a historic region for growing hazelnuts. The company utilizes 25% of the world’s hazelnut supply, most of which goes into Nutella.
The predecessor and inspiration for Nutella is Gianduja (pronounced jan-DOO-yah), also a chocolate and hazelnut spread. Gianduja was invented in Piedmont in the mid–1800’s out of necessity as a way to stretch the supply of chocolate amid skyrocketing prices. Originally a mix of about 70% chocolate and 30% hazelnuts, gianduja is still made by chocolatiers around the world.
After World War II, the price of chocolate in Italy spiked again and the resourceful Ferrero family turned to hazelnuts once more to make their first product Giandujot, a block–shaped paste of hazelnut and chocolate that could be cut and spread like butter. The recipe was changed several times, and in 1964 the smooth and spreadable Nutella that we know today was released.
Nutella is about 13% hazelnut and 7.4% cocoa powder. There are about 52 hazelnuts in each 14–ounce jar of Nutella. The highest ratio ingredients are sugar and palm oil, which makes it no surprise that the spread is decadently delicious. However, sugar and fat are not the only reasons that Nutella is so addictive. The pairing of chocolate and all manner of nuts has a long history of success in the kitchen. Complementary rich, roasted aromas of nuts and cocoa beans marry the ingredients before even taking a bite. Contrasting flavors of fruity, floral chocolate and earthy nuts create a balanced flavor profile. The interplay of smooth chocolate and crunchy nuts, as well as the savory salt of nuts against the backdrop of sweet chocolate, create what is called dynamic sensory contrast — a sought after tension of opposites on the palate.
If the science weren’t enough on its own, our flavor memory takes us over the final step. Society and the media tell us that chocolate and nuts are always delicious together. Chocolate in any form is associated with celebration, whether in halloween candy or on a tasting menu. It is near–impossible to disentangle this subconscious bias when eating chocolate. Of course there are exceptions; yes, I have met people who don’t like chocolate. By and large however, the average person definitely enjoys chocolate, and chocolate and nuts together.
Crêpes with Nutella and Banana
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, plus more for cooking crêpes
- 1 cup (5 oz) All–Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Egg
- 1¼ cups Whole Milk
- 1 cup Nutella
- 2 Bananas, peeled and sliced thin
Instructions
- Microwave butter in 20 second intervals until melted; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, whisk the egg and milk until uniform. Sift about ½ of the dry ingredients mixture through a fine–mesh strainer over the milk mixture; whisk together until a few lumps remain. Sift remaining dry ingredients over the batter; whisk until a few lumps remain. Add the melted butter and whisk until smooth.
- Set a 12–inch non–stick skillet over medium–low heat for 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium; melt ½ tablespoon butter until bubbling subsides and butter begins to smell nutty, 2 minutes. Ladle ¼ cup batter in center of pan; lift pan off of heat and tilt in circular motion to disperse batter over surface. Cook until bottom of crêpe is golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- Flip crêpe; add 2 tablespoons of nutella and gently spread to cover half of crêpe; layer ⅛ of banana slices over nutella. Fold crêpe in half over nutella; cook for 30 seconds. Flip crêpe; cook for 30 seconds more; transfer to serving platter. Crêpes can be served immediately, or covered with aluminum foil to keep warm. Continue cooking crêpes, adding more butter to the pan as needed.
Notes
- Low–fat or dairy–free milk can be substituted for the whole milk.
- If using salted butter, omit the salt from the batter.
- The batter can be cooked right away, but will develop even more delicious flavor if allowed to rest refrigerated overnight.
- Batter can be covered and refrigerated for up to a week; whisk to recombine before cooking. Cooked and unfilled crêpes can be stacked and cooled to room temperature; store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week, or in the freezer for 1 month. To reheat, stack crêpes, cover with a damp paper towel, and heat in microwave until warm, about 30 seconds. Continue with step 3 in a non–stick skillet over medium heat to fill and serve crêpes.
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