Creamy Banana Crepes

Five hundred weeks. That's what this is — week five hundred since I started writing for RecipeSpinoff. Since a twenty-three-year-old kid who worked at a brewery and had just learned to make pierogi started writing about food and life and the things that connect them. Five hundred weeks of cooking and grieving and loving and building. Five hundred weeks of becoming.

I didn't plan to write for this long. I didn't plan any of this. I planned to make beer and eat Babcia's food and live in a small apartment in Bay View and that was the whole plan. The plan has been exceeded in every direction. I am married. I own a house. I am going to be a father. I have a dream with a name — Helen's — and a notebook filling with details. The plan was small. Life was big. Life is always bigger than the plan.

The pregnancy is progressing. Megan is showing now — a small bump, barely visible under her teacher sweater, but there. Real. The nausea is easing. She can eat again — real food, not just crackers. She wants pierogi. She always wants pierogi. The baby wants pierogi. My child is demanding pierogi from the womb. I have never been more proud.

Made a massive batch of pierogi — all the fillings. Potato and cheese. Sauerkraut. Mushroom gruyère. Strawberry farmer cheese (out of season, frozen strawberries, but Megan wanted them). Megan sat at the counter and ate them as I made them, which is inefficient but adorable. She ate twelve before dinner. I said, "Those were for the week." She said, "The baby is hungry." The baby is always hungry. The baby is already a Kowalski.

The strawberry farmer cheese pierogi went first — they always do — and when the last one disappeared off Megan’s plate before I’d even finished crimping the next batch, I knew I needed something in the same spirit: soft dough, sweet filling, the kind of thing you eat standing over the stove at 7pm because the baby is hungry and the baby does not negotiate. These creamy banana crepes are that exact thing — tender, rich, barely any effort once you have the rhythm, and the kind of recipe that earns you a very satisfied look from across the kitchen counter.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 8 crepes (4 servings)

Ingredients

Crepe Batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Creamy Banana Filling
8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 ripe bananas, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
To Serve
Whipped cream or sour cream
Honey or maple syrup, for drizzling
Pinch of cinnamon

Instructions

Make the batter. In a blender, combine flour, eggs, milk, water, melted butter, sugar, and salt. Blend on medium speed for 30 seconds until completely smooth. Let the batter rest at room temperature for at least 10 minutes (or up to 1 hour) — this relaxes the gluten and gives you tender crepes.
Make the filling. While the batter rests, beat the softened cream cheese with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and beat until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Cook the crepes. Heat an 8- or 9-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add a small pat of butter and swirl to coat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into the center of the pan and immediately tilt and swirl the pan so the batter spreads into a thin, even circle. Cook until the edges look set and the bottom is lightly golden, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Flip carefully and cook another 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter, stacking crepes with a sheet of parchment or wax paper between them.
Fill the crepes. Lay a crepe flat on a clean surface. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling across the lower third of the crepe. Arrange a layer of banana slices over the filling. Fold the bottom edge up over the filling, then fold in the sides and roll forward to close, or simply fold in quarters for a casual presentation.
Serve immediately. Arrange crepes on plates, two per serving. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, and a pinch of cinnamon. Serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving, 2 filled crepes)

Creamy Banana Crepes — When the Baby Demands Something Sweet and Wrapped in Dough