Easy Hazelnut Cocoa Crepes with Nocilla Milk & Hazelnut Spread

While some recipes are developed specifically for leisurely Sunday mornings, others can be considered ideal for any time when there is a need for a sweet treat, but no desire to spend many hours preparing it. Such crepes with hazelnut and cocoa cream fall under both descriptions. These are delicate crepes that have a very thin texture, light golden color, and delicious creamy inside.

The key ingredient of this recipe is the hazelnut spread that combines the richness of hazelnuts and a mild taste of cocoa. It is an excellent solution to create a filling for the crepes without having to develop a special recipe and cooking procedure.

The great thing about the recipe is that it is extremely versatile. Enjoy these crepes for breakfast, use them as a snack for an afternoon break or make an easy dessert for your friends and family. Some toppings will transform the look of the dish significantly.

Why These Crepes Work So Well

Even though this type of food has quite a simple dough, it is its very delicate structure that makes it perfect for any dessert-type fillings.

As it is rather tasteless, the crepe dough will allow the flavor of the chocolate-hazelnut mixture to be highlighted. Some fresh fruits, a bit of powdered sugar, or some hazelnuts could be added to refresh the dish and still make the filling a key point.

The recipe yields 8-10 crepes, depending on the size of the pan.

Ingredients

For the Crepes

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 ¼ cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
A small pinch of salt
A little butter or neutral oil for the pan

For the Filling and Topping

Nocilla Milk & Hazelnut spread
Sliced strawberries or bananas
Chopped hazelnuts
Powdered sugar, optional
A few cocoa nibs, optional

You do not need to use every topping listed above. The spread is rich enough to make the crepes satisfying on its own, so choose one or two additions based on what you have available.

How to Make the Crepes

First of all, mix the flour, eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, melted butter, and salt in a big mixing bowl. Beat all the ingredients well so that the mixture becomes homogeneous and relatively liquid.

If there are still some lumps in the batter, whisk them further or strain it through a sieve. This will help to prepare smooth batter which will enable you to make thin crepes.

Then, let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes. It does not take much time but allows the flour to absorb some of the liquid.

After that, put the non-stick pan on the stove and grease it with butter or oil. When the pan is heated, add the batter and spread it while tilting the pan in different directions.

The cooking time is about one minute or until the edges are set and the color of the bottom side is light brown. Flip the crepe over and cook the other side for 20-30 seconds.

Fill Them While They Are Warm

With the crepes done, comes the fun part. Start by placing one of the crepes on a plate, then cover the middle with a liberal spoonful of Nocilla Milk & Hazelnut.

The heat of the crepe will make it easier for you to spread the Nocilla Milk without the danger of tearing the thin crepe.

If you want some fruits to go with your creamy filling, place some slices of bananas or strawberries in there. You can fold the crepe into four pieces or roll them into a roll.

You can do this for all the other crepes.

As a dessert dish, place two to three filled crepes on a plate, then sprinkle with powdered sugar. The addition of some chopped hazelnuts will give a nice crunchy feel to your filling.

A Few Easy Ways to Change the Recipe

Now that you know how to make the basic crepes, you can easily customize the recipe.

Banana and hazelnut: Put thin banana slices into the crepe before you fold it. The soft fruit goes wonderfully with the creamy cocoa and hazelnut filling.
Strawberry and cocoa: Put slices of strawberries inside as an addition. This version is best for summertime, when strawberries ripen.
Crunchy hazelnut: Put the chopped and roasted hazelnuts on top of the filling. Combining the smooth filling with crunchy nuts will add variety to the crepe.
Breakfast-type: Add only some simple toppings to the crepes – put fruit and milk next to them.
Dessert-type: Put several crepes one by one, add fruit between them, sprinkle with powdered sugar and nuts on top.

Tips for Better Crepes

However, a few small things can help you notice a difference while making crepes at home.

First, do not let the batter be too thick. Crepes need to be thin enough to be able to spread over the pan. If your batter is too thick, try adding some milk and mixing it again.

Secondly, use medium heat instead of letting it become too hot. It will be hard for you to spread batter on the pan if it gets too hot.

Thirdly, try not to put too much filling in your crepes. Nocilla Milk & Hazelnut tastes so rich that it would be enough for you to put a small amount of it. Too much filling will make it hard to fold crepes.

Make Them Ahead for an Easy Treat

The crepes themselves can be made ahead of time, thus making this recipe convenient to make when feeding many people. Simply stack them on a plate and cover with foil so that they don’t become dry.

Then when it’s time to serve them, heat them a little bit and put the filling inside. You will find it convenient to make breakfast or dessert without cooking everything in the last moment.

If you have children to feed, you can just offer various toppings and allow them to make their own crepes. Fresh fruit, crushed hazelnuts, and some confectioner’s sugar should give enough variations without complicating the process too much.

Final Thoughts

These crepes of hazelnut and cocoa demonstrate how a simple recipe can be turned into a special dish through the use of the perfect filling. The crepes themselves are light and fluffy, and the chocolate and hazelnut cream fillings provide the richness to complete the recipe.

Whether you choose to make them as part of a leisurely breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or as an effortless dessert, the ingredients are all easy to come by and require just a few minutes at the stove.