Do gingerbread crepes taste like gingerbread cookies?

They taste like soft gingerbread cake: warm ginger and cinnamon with a little molasses. They aren't very sweet on their own, which is why the filling and pears go on top.

Can I make gingerbread crepes ahead for Christmas morning?

Yes. Cook the crepes up to 3 days ahead and stack them in the fridge, wrapped, or freeze them for up to 2 months. Make the filling the day before. In the morning, warm the crepes in a dry pan and cook the pears.

Can I skip the brown butter?

Yes. Use 4 tablespoons of softened regular butter. You'll miss the toasted, nutty flavor, but it's still very good.

Gingerbread Crepes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese

Gingerbread is one of the flavors of the season, in lattes, cookies and cakes, and it works just as well in a crepe batter. A spoonful of molasses and the usual spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) turn plain crepes deep brown and fragrant. They’re filled with a brown butter cream cheese, which tastes a little like the frosting on a good spice cake, and topped with warm pears.

These are a good holiday breakfast because almost everything can be done ahead. Make the crepes and the filling the day before, and in the morning you only need to warm the crepes and cook the pears.

Gingerbread Crepes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese

Molasses and spice crepes with a brown butter cream cheese filling and warm sautéed pears.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Rest Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 55 mins
Yield: About 12 crepes (9-inch), 4 to 6 servings

Equipment

9-inch crepe pan or non-stick skillet
Balloon whisk
Small light-colored saucepan for browning the butter

Ingredients

Gingerbread crepes

1 1/2 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (25 g) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) whole milk
2 tablespoons (40 g) molasses
3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan

Brown butter cream cheese

4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter
8 ounces (226 g) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Sautéed pears

2 ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Pinch of cinnamon

Instructions

Make the batter

Whisk the flour, brown sugar, spices and salt in a large bowl.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and molasses until the molasses dissolves, then whisk in the melted butter.
Gradually whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until smooth. Cover and rest for 1 hour at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge.

Brown butter cream cheese

Melt the butter in the small saucepan over medium heat. Keep swirling as it foams. In 4 to 6 minutes the milk solids at the bottom turn golden brown and it smells nutty. Pour it into a bowl right away, scraping in the brown bits.
Chill the browned butter until it is soft and spreadable but not liquid, about 30 minutes in the fridge (this can happen while the batter rests).
Beat the cream cheese, brown butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Add milk a little at a time until it spreads easily.

Cook the crepes

Heat the crepe pan over medium-low heat and wipe it with a little butter. The molasses makes these brown faster than plain crepes, so keep the heat a notch lower than usual.
Pour in about 3 tablespoons of batter and tilt to coat the bottom. Cook about 1 minute, until the edges lift, then flip and cook 20 seconds more. Stack on a plate and repeat.

Pears and serving

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the pears, brown sugar and cinnamon and cook, stirring now and then, until tender and glazed, 5 to 7 minutes.
Spread about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling over each crepe, fold it into quarters and top with a few warm pear slices.

Serving suggestions

Use regular (unsulphured) molasses, not blackstrap, which is too bitter here.
The cream cheese filling keeps for 4 days in the fridge. Let it soften at room temperature for 20 minutes before spreading.
No pears? Sautéed apples or a spoonful of cranberry sauce are good too.

Tips

Lower the heat. Molasses has sugar that browns fast. Medium-low heat gives you an even color without scorched spots.
Use a light-colored pan for the butter. You can see when the bits at the bottom turn golden brown, and take it off the heat before it burns.
Rest the batter. An hour lets the flour hydrate, so the crepes are thinner and don’t tear.

More holiday ideas, from cranberry orange to eggnog crepes, are in Holiday Crepes. To get the crepes done days ahead, see Make-Ahead Crepes.

Tips

Frequently asked questions

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