Looking for the perfect special occasion dessert? Try these Dark Chocolate Crepes with Berry Sauce.
Usually, the CompostMaster and I don’t do much to mark Valentine’s Day. We might go out to dinner or prepare a fancy meal at home, but we don’t knock ourselves out in the gift department. Chocolates don’t say “I love you” at this point in my life (thanks, diabetes), I’m not a jewelry fanatic and, while roses are nice, I’m practical enough to prefer spending the money elsewhere.
But this Valentine’s Day will be special. The CompostMaster has just returned from a bucket list trip to Guatemala and I missed him terribly. He invited me to go with him, but traipsing through the jungle for 10 days to look at old Mayan artifacts is not really my idea of a good time. Fortunately, my husband understands this.
I spent the day before his return working on this recipe for dark chocolate crepes. Dark chocolate, raspberries, strawberries and hints of coconut – these are some of our favorite things. I thought it would be the perfect Valentine’s dessert and, fortunately, it’s easy to make ahead.
If you aren’t familiar with making crepes, I provided some tips with my Spicy Chickpea Crepes with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce recipe. This time, instead of using a spatula, I decided to turn my dark chocolate crepes with a flick of the wrist. I was encouraged when the first one flipped perfectly. The next few weren’t quite so perfect, but you really can’t tell once they are folded. (If you can, you have way too much time on your hands.) Plus if any get really messed up, you can eat them. The crepes themselves are delicious without any sauce at all whenever you need a chocolate fix.
Variations to the Recipe
This recipe for dark chocolate crepes is extremely flexible:
- Use all raspberries or all strawberries or a combination of the two. Bananas might also work well.
- Substitute regular cocoa powder for the dark chocolate variety if that better suits your tastes.
- Try milk or almond milk instead of the coconut milk if you aren’t a coconut fan. (The original recipe used 1 cup of nonfat milk plus 1/2 cup of nonfat evaporated milk.)
- If you don’t have the energy to make the sauce, try the Berry Cream Sauce I serve with my Brownie Pancakes. It’s much easier to prepare.
- Make it Gluten-free: Substitute gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour.
- Make it Vegan: Use a vegan egg substitute for the eggs.
Dark Chocolate Crepes with Berry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup plus 1/3 cup sugar divided
- ¼ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup water
- 2-1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries divided
- 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries divided
- 4-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Whipped cream optional
- Confectioner's sugar optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, cocoa powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and eggs. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until well-combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Place water, 2 cups raspberries and 1-1/2 cups strawberries in a blender or food processor; cover and process until puréed. (Note: I used frozen berries and ended up having to add a lot more water because the mixture was so thick. I recommend you thaw the berries if using frozen.)
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch and remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Strain berry purée into saucepan containing cornstarch mixture, then discard seeds. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low and simmer, stirring often, for about 2 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Transfer to a bowl, let cool slightly, then refrigerate until chilled.
- Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet (or crepe pan if you have one) over medium heat. Remove crepe batter from refrigerator and stir well. Remove skillet from heat and spray with cooking spray. Fill a 1/4-cup dry measure about three-quarters full and pour into the center of the skillet. Quickly roll pan around to get as thin a layer of batter as possible. Return to heat. When top appears dry (less than a minute), flip and cook about 15 seconds more. Remove to wire rack; when cool, stack on plate. Repeat with remaining batter, spraying the skillet before cooking each crepe.
- To serve, fold each crepe in quarters or roll up and top with sauce and remaining berries. Add whipped cream or confectioner’s sugar, if desired.
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