Strawberry Crepes with Cream Cheese Filling

Strawberries and cream cheese are one of the most popular crepe fillings for good reason. The filling is tangy and just sweet enough, the berries bring juice and color, and the whole thing comes together in about an hour, most of which is the batter resting.

The cream cheese filling here is lightened with whipped cream, so it spreads easily and stays soft instead of tasting like straight cream cheese. The strawberries sit in a little sugar while the batter rests, which draws out a quick syrup to spoon over the top.

What you need

• The crepes: a standard thin batter of flour, eggs, milk and a little butter. If you’ve never made crepes before, read Crepes for Beginners first. It covers pan heat and the swirl.
• The filling: softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, a squeeze of lemon and cold heavy cream.
• The berries: ripe strawberries and a couple of spoonfuls of sugar.

Tips for the best strawberry crepes

• Soften the cream cheese fully. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps that won’t beat out. Leave it on the counter for 30 to 45 minutes, or cut it into cubes to speed things up.
• Don’t skip the rest. Resting the batter lets the flour hydrate, which makes the crepes tender and less likely to tear.
• Fill just before serving. The strawberry juice softens the crepes as they sit, so assemble them when you’re ready to eat.
• Fold to suit the crowd. Rolled crepes are easy to eat. Quarters look pretty on a platter. See the art of folding for more ways to present them.

For a brunch spread, set out the crepes, filling and strawberries and let everyone build their own. There are more ideas for that in Crepes for Brunch.