Strawberry & Nutella Crepes

It's Friday again and I'm ending the week on a sweet note... with dessert crepes! I love crepes simply for the fact that they are only a few staple ingredients away from using up leftovers and also elevating ingredients to a slightly fancier dish. Not too long ago I hosted a budget-friendly dinner party featuring crepes. Although it's been a few weeks, I'm still making crepes since they're not only budget friendly but are so versatile. I will admit that dessert crepes are my weakness and this time, I indulged in more Strawberry & Nutella Crepes. These crepes are studded with sweet strawberries, a spread of Nutella along with a creamy cloud of whipped cream. Heaven, I tell you...

Just because I'm gluten free doesn't mean I can't enjoy dishes made with flour. I just have to adjust things a bit by using different flours to get my fix. For these crepes, I used an all purpose gluten free flour, such as Tom Sawyer brand. What's nice about this specific brand is that the ingredient xanthan gum is already incorporated. Xanthan gum is important in dishes because it helps as a binder in place of the gluten. Another brand that also has xanthan gum incorporated is Better Batter. Either of these work well in the following recipe. If you don't have these brands available, use your preferred gluten free flour and add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the recipe.

(Gluten Free) Strawberry & Nutella Crepes
recipe adapted from Alton Brown

Crepe Batter:
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup all purpose flour or all purpose gluten free flour (Tom Sawyer brand) 
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons melted butter + more for coating the pan

Filling:
2 cups fresh chopped strawberries
1/4 cup Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread, warmed
Whipped cream for garnish

In a blender, combine all of the batter ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.

Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

Taking one crepe, spread a tablespoon of Nutella down the middle of the crepe. Top the Nutella with chopped fresh strawberries. Fold the sides over the filling and carefully lay seam side down on a serving platter. Top with whipped cream, a sprinkling of more chopped strawberries and a drizzle of melted Nutella over the top.