One of the first things I missed upon moving to Germany was my Trader Joe's chunky lightly salted peanut butter. Most mornings before work in Santa Barbara, I would slather a spoonful of the peanuty-goodness on my bagel or english muffin (which also do not exist here!). Coming here, I was lost without my peanut butter. The dilemma was a big one: What would sustitute for the poor excuse for peanut butter that they have here?? I quickly found my soultion, and soon to be obsession: NUTELLA. Now, I know what you're thinking.....at first glance, the two seem very different. I mean, peanut butter is very salty and peanuty, while Nutella is mostly, well, sweet and chocolately. But it didn't take long to become accustomed to the smooth, hazelnut-ty goodness that comes in every small glass jar of Nutella. After all, there's even a picture on the jar of it smeared all over a piece of bread. Instant breakfast solution. Well, after a few days of indulging, I was quickly finding other creative methods to satisfy my Nutella cravings.... on pretzel sticks, atop bananas, between slices of bread, on crackers, ...the possibilities seemed endless. Just when I thought I had exhausted my ideas for Nutella uses, I added one more way to my list this morning.....crepes! I found a great recipe for vanilla crepes that I must share. Of course, the secret ingredient is Nutella. Add some sliced bananas and you are in for a BIG treat. Guten apetit!
Vanilla Crepes (serves 12)
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, egg yolks and vanilla. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt and melted butter until well blended.
2. Heat a crepe pan over medium heat until hot. Coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tip to spread the batter to the edges. When bubbles form on the top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden. Repeat with remaining batter.
3. Fill crepes with your favorite fruit, spread, cream, caramel or even ice cream or cheese to serve.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, egg yolks and vanilla. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt and melted butter until well blended.
2. Heat a crepe pan over medium heat until hot. Coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tip to spread the batter to the edges. When bubbles form on the top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden. Repeat with remaining batter.
3. Fill crepes with your favorite fruit, spread, cream, caramel or even ice cream or cheese to serve.
