Crepes With Cream Cheese Crepe Filling (Nalesniki)

Nalesniki are Ukrainian crepes. They go by Nalisniki or Blintz in the Slavic community and are similar to a French crepe.

A crepe batter is made from eggs, milk, and flour then spread thinly and cooked in a skillet. Although there are many handy tools to make crepes at home, the easiest and most efficient way to make crepes is in a non-stick pan.

Once you make a batch of homemade crepes you can fill them with sweet or savory fillings! French Cafes add greens and meats for a filling lunch or brunch! However, Ukrainians mostly make sweet cheese crepes as a dessert and once you try one, you’ll now why this is a generation favorite!

A blender crepe recipe works best with a smaller batch of crepes. However, making crepes in a specific given order can prevent lumps and clumps. The secret? Mix the eggs and flour first then add the other ingredients!

1. Pre-heat a non-stick pan over low heat.
2. Mix together the eggs and flour. Gradually add in milk to smooth out the flour, then add the rest of the ingredients in the order given.
3. Add 1/4 cup of the crepe batter into the pan and quickly swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.
4. Cook the crepes until edges turn light brown then flip and cook for another 30 seconds. Stack and repeat.

If you halve the crepe batter then yes, you can use a blender. The original recipe calls for a liter of milk and almost a dozen of eggs which will barely hold a blenders capacity.

My favorite sized pan to make crepes is this [eafl id="19683" name="11-inch crepe pan" text="11-Inch Crepe Pan"]. Cast iron pans are heavy and not ideal for making theses delicate crepes as you need to quickly swirl the batter constantly.

Although they come with a T-swirl tool I find it much quicker to swirl the batter around by shaking the pan than using a tool as the batter sets quickly. Keep in mind the smaller sized pan the thicker the crepes. Swirling is key if you want thin crepes.

Cooks Tip: cook crepes in 2 pans to fasten up the process. You’ll be done in half the time!

Cheese crepes, (Nalisniki in Ukrainian and cheese blintzes in Russian) are crepes filled a creamy sweet cheese filling. The cheeses used in these crepes are typically from small or fine curds that can be later spreadable.

• Farmer’s Cheese (Tvorog)- a Slavic favorite and popular in the Russian community. It can easily be made at home and is available at most European markets. This cheese has a fine curd slightly larger than ricotta.
• Cottage Cheese- my personal favorite since it’s cheap and easily available at common grocery stores. You need a sieve to rinse and drain the cottage cheese curds for this recipe.
• Mascarpone or Ricotta Cheese- are the last substitutes if you cannot find cottage or Farmer’s cheese. Although they have fine curds they can make this dish taste differently.
• Cream Cheese or Neufchâtel- this is what makes the filling creamy. It’s a must for a moist crepe. Some cheese crepes can be rather dry and grainy from Farmer’s cheese alone and cream cheese definitely adds that creamy touch.

Pro Tip- if your cheese spread is too thick add a tablespoon of sour cream or heavy cream until desired spreading consistency.

Depending on how coarse your filling is there are different ways to fold up your filling.

• Cylinder-style- is the way these cheese crepes are rolled. A thin and spreadable filling is ideal for this style of wrapping. Or a filling that can be sparsely scattered and not too heavy like these Savory Cabbage Crepes.
• Squares or envelopes- are great for chunky fillings like these Savory Crepes With Chicken.
• Folded into Quarters- my easy Crepe Recipe is shown in this fold. Folding crepes in half then in half again makes for a beautiful presentation and is great for a crepe bar.
• Wrap- like any wrap or burrito this way of folding crepes is suitable for big fillings like greens and meats.

Cooked and unfilled crepes can be kept at room temperature for up to 24 hours. If the crepes are not filled and stacked in the refrigerator they can stick. It is important to fill them and layer them between melted butter shortly after cooking.

Once the crepes are filled and rolled-up they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, then finished off by baking later.

Once the crepes are filled they can be reheated 3 ways:

• Baking Instructions: stack crepes into 2 layers in a 9×13 pan, brushing each layer with melted butter. Bake at 300°F for 30-45 minutes.
• Microwave Instructions: place a dozen of rolled up crepes onto a dinner plate and dollop with butter. Microwave over high for 2-3 minutes or until crepes have slightly puffed up and the butter is almost melted.
• Skillet Instructions: melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Toast crepes on each side until golden.

Yes! I have froze dozens and dozens of crepes with fantastic results! Use disposable foiled pans for freezer crepes because then they can be portable for gatherings! Follow the recipe instructions only don’t bake and cover the pans with aluminum foil. Wrap each pan in a double layer of grocery bags to prevent frost and keep frozen for up to 2 months.

Tip: stack crepes into 2 layers. Anymore layers can scorch the bottom of the crepes and not fully bake the top layer.

Sweet Cheese Filled Crepes are best with sour cream or a strawberry sauce. Strawberry Jam is also a popular pick! Drizzle melted Nutella for a decadent dessert or dollop whipped cream on the side with fresh berries.

Fruit, chocolate, or whipped dairy are popular choices. Our favorite is plain sour cream over these cheese crepes.