Aumônières de Crêpes (French Pancake Parcels)

This is such an adorable way to serve pancakes, these are Aumônières de Crêpes. They are delicious crepes, folded into little parcels, filled with whipped cream and strawberries. I drizzled mine with nutella and they are so good.

Aumônière in French is an old fashioned word that means small pouch or purse. So the idea is that the crepes are little purses filled with anything you like. I went sweet, with whipped cream, strawberry and nutella. But often in France, these are served savoury. You can fill the Aumônières de crepes with cheese, mushrooms, ham, or tomatoes (ham and cheese is my favourite) and then place them in the oven to melt the cheese in the middle. They are a delicious way to serve savoury crepes that’s a little different to the classic French galettes. 

This recipe uses my classic thin pancake recipe which is then folded into the aumônière shape. You can leave them flat, roll them up or fold them into quarters. It will still be delicious but I do recommend trying this way as it’s really simple but makes it a bit different. I just use a cocktail stick to stick through the scrunch at the top and they hold well.

To Rest Or Not To Rest (that is the question)

I was always taught that it's very important to rest your pancake batter but truly, I've tried it both ways and I don't find it makes much difference. If you want to rest the batter, by all means, you can but I find it's not necessary. I like to make the batter the night before for maximum ease in the morning. I blend it up and then put the blender container directly in the fridge (sealed) and leave it overnight. Then in the morning, give it a shake (it may have separated) and it's ready to go!

Why you will love this recipe:

• They look so cute and dainty when all laid out on a plate.
• You can make the crepe batter in a blender to take out any hassle at all.
• The toppings are adaptable for your tastes - you can make these sweet or savoury.
• Savoury Aumônières de Crêpes with a side salad makes a full meal.
• You can scale up the recipe easily if making for a crowd. 
• Aumônières can be reheated in the oven so you can serve them hot all at once.

Ingredients:

Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!

Eggs: large eggs work best here. Try to use free range eggs if you can!

Whole milk: whole is ideal but it would be fine with semi skimmed or even skimmed milk too. Whole just gives the best, well-rounded pancake.

Plain flour: also known as all purpose flour, this keeps the Aumônières de crepes nice and thin without a rise (unlike fluffy banana pancakes)

Butter: I like to fry in butter (salted or unsalted is fine) as I find this gets you a golden colour and tastes the best.

Caster sugar: I like a touch of sugar, although of course it's optional.

Whipped cream: I filled mine with whipped cream in a can as I love the look of the piped cream (and it’s easy!) but you can do what you like.

Strawberries: any berries or fruit would work. Mango pancakes are delicious for some inspiration. I like to chop them small and scatter over but sliced would also work.

Nutella: For a touch of sweetness, this chocolate hazelnut spread is so good drizzled over the top of the Aumônières de Crepes. 

Substitutions and Variations:

Sugar - you can leave out the sugar altogether if you like (if you’re making for young children for example) but it does add a nice hint of sweetness. Other sugar works too - granulated, soft light brown, dark brown.

Whole milk - you could use semi skimmed or skimmed milk. Or swap for a dairy free milk.

Dairy free - swap for a dairy free milk and plant-based butter. Fry in plant based butter too. Use your favourite. 

Sweet toppings - Fill these Aumônières with whatever you like! Whatever you would fill a regular crepe with, you can do so here. It would be delicious with a berry cheesecake filling or banana and nutella. I also love stewed apple in the centre with whipped cream. Melted dark chocolate drizzled over the top and it is so good. Or keep it simple and go back to basics with honey, maple syrup or golden syrup. Even a sprinkle of sugar! 

Savoury toppings - I love serving Aumônières this way. I love filling them with grated gruyere and curls of ham, maybe even a dollop of creme fraiche too, before folding up. They would also be delicious with fried mushrooms, some wilted spinach and goat’s cheese. Or make it festive with brie or camembert with a dollop of cranberry sauce. Smoked salmon, spinach and creme fraiche would also be great.

Here's how to make Aumônières de Crêpes:

Here's a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.

ONE: Simply mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Make a well in the centre and crack in your eggs. Add the melted butter and whisk well. Then add the milk and whisk again to bring it all together.

TWO: Alternatively, add all ingredients to a blender and blitz until smooth.

THREE: Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat and then grease with butter using a scrunched-up bit of kitchen paper.

FOUR: Use a ladle and add batter to the pan. Getting the right amount of batter in the pan is a bit of trial and error. Remember that the first pancake never turns out right – it’s a scientific fact, so don’t stress and then just enjoy it as a chef’s perk.

FIVE: Use a wooden crepe spreader or hold the man and tilt it to spread the batter across the base of the pan.

SIX: Cook for 30 seconds or so without touching it, then loosen the edges and flip! Cook for another 30 seconds or so until it's a lovely colour and then slide onto a plate.

SEVEN: To the centre of the crepe, add a dollop of cream and some chopped strawberries.

EIGHT: Pick up the sides of the crepe and bring to the centre, holding it up as if you are folding it in half.

NINE: Then pick up one of the remaining edges and bring it to the middle.

TEN: Repeat until it's all gathered. I tend to do two folds on each end so there are essentially six folds.

ELEVEN: Then pick up the remaining sides until the whole crepe has been gathered up and you have folds of crepe at the top.

TWELVE: Then stick a cocktail stick through the folds so it forms a little parcel.

Cooking Tips:

Using a blender: you can be team blender or team elbow grease - both work well! Blender makes it super smooth and makes it super easy. But elbow grease with a whisk is also a good technique too. The trick is that once the dry ingredients are in the bowl, add the eggs and whisk really well until as smooth as possible. Then add the milk, only once it’s as smooth as possible. That gives you the best chance of getting rid of lumps.

Non-stick pan: I would really recommend using a non-stick pan here as it means you avoid any crepe mishaps.

When to flip: After 30-60 seconds, the edges should slightly curl up. Once they do that, that means they are ready to flip. The edges will be darker and slightly loosened.

Tilt the pan: Once the batter hits the pan, immediately spread the batter out with a wooden crepe spreader or tilt the pan so that the batter spreads around evenly. If you wait too long, the crepe will set and it’ll be too thick or an odd shape.

Making into Aumônières: I use mini cocktail sticks to secure the top of the parcel and make them stay. All you need to do is pick up the sides of the crepe and bring to the centre, holding it up as if you are folding it in half. Then pick up the remaining sides until the whole crepe has been gathered up and you have folds of crepe at the top. Then stick a cocktail stick through the folds so it forms a little parcel. Drizzle over melted Nutella and enjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storage & Make Ahead Instructions

Other recipes you might enjoy:

If you like these, try my banana crepes, berry cheesecake crepes or Polish apple pancakes.

Made this recipe and loved it?

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Aumônières de Crêpes (French Pancake Parcels)

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 Aumonieres de Crepes are delicious crepes, folded into little parcels, filled with whipped cream and strawberries. I drizzled mine with nutella and they are so good.

• Author: Margie Nomura

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 110g plain flour
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 280ml (½ pint milk)
• extra butter for greasing the pan

To serve:

• Whipped cream - I like using it from a can here as I find it looks so cute with the piped nozzle. You could also whip up double cream for this.
• 150g strawberries, chopped finely
• 4-8 tablespoon Nutella, softened in the microwave until drizzling consistency (this is a large difference in how much Nutella to use, it really will depend on personal preference. Use as much or as little as you'd like!)

Equipment:

• 6 cocktail sticks

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Instructions

1. Simply mix together the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and crack in your eggs. Add the melted butter. Add the milk and whisk well to bring it all together. Or add all ingredients to a blender and blitz until smooth. Either works.
2. Grease a nonstick frying pan with butter using a scrunched-up bit of kitchen paper. I use a ladle to get the right amount of batter in the pan, but this is a bit of trial and error. Remember that the first pancake never turns out right – it’s a scientific fact, so don’t stress and then just enjoy it as a chef’s perk.
3. Cook for 30 seconds or so without touching it, then loosen the edges and flip! Cook for another 30 seconds or so until it's a lovely colour and then slide onto a plate.
4. If you want to do these ahead of the game, just stack them up using a little greaseproof paper between each pancake to stop them sticking and then they reheat well in a low oven (around 90-100c)
5. When ready, take a hot crepe and add whipped cream in the centre. Scatter over strawberries.  Pick up the sides of the crepe and bring to the centre, holding it up as if you are folding in half. Then pick up the remaining sides until the whole crepe has been gathered up and you have folds of crepe at the top. Then stick a cocktail stick through the folds so it forms a little parcel. Drizzle over melted Nutella and enjoy.
6. If making savoury with cheese: Heat the oven to 180c. Place a crepe onto a plate - don’t worry about it being warm or not - and then fill with desired filling e.g. ham and cheese. Fold up into a parcel as directed above and place on a baking tray. Bake for 10-15 minutes until hot and the middle is melted. 

Notes

Scroll up for a helpful step by step guide on how to make these Aumônières de Crêpes.

To store: Cool and transfer to a plate with sheets of greaseproof paper in between each one. Then clingfilm tightly and place in the fridge for 2 days. I wouldn’t store any sweet Aumônières crepes with the filling already in them as this makes them go soggy, with the whipped cream and fruit. Savoury ones might keep a little better. You can transfer to an airtight container and place in fridge for 1-2 days.

To reheat: Any leftover crepes (unfolded) can be reheated in a pan over medium-low heat. Flip over once until heated through, it shouldn’t take more than a minute or so. Otherwise, heat in the microwave in 20 second bursts until hot. As mentioned above, if reheating savoury Aumônières already folded, you could reheat them in a 180c oven for 10 minutes until hot all the way through. 

To freeze: Yes, cool the crepes then stack up with sheets of greaseproof paper in between each crepe, pre folding into parcels. Then clingfilm the whole thing tightly and place in a freezer bag (or wrap with a final layer of foil).Place in the freezer for up to 3 months. I wouldn’t freeze any Aumônières crepes with the filling already in them as it wont freeze well.

Make ahead: You can store crepe batter in the fridge for up to 2 days in an airtight container. But I would use it in the first 24 hours when it’s at its best. You can also freeze crepe batter for up to 2 months. When ready to use, defrost overnight until it’s liquid and then give it a good whisk to bring it together. 

Using a blender: you can be team blender or team elbow grease - both work well! Blender makes it super smooth and makes it super easy. But elbow grease with a whisk is also a good technique too. The trick is that once the dry ingredients are in the bowl, add the eggs and whisk really well until as smooth as possible. Then add the milk, only once it’s as smooth as possible. That gives you the best chance of getting rid of lumps.

Non-stick pan: I would really recommend using a non-stick pan here as it means you avoid any sticking mishaps.

When to flip: After 30-60 seconds, the edges should slightly curl up. Once they do that, that means they are ready to flip. The edges will be darker and slightly loosened.