Crepes with Farmers Cheese and Vanilla Recipe
Crepes with farmers cheese and vanilla are the Polish version of thin crêpes, usually served as a sweet lunch or late breakfast. The elastic, paper-thin pancakes hide a creamy vanilla cheese filling that is sweet yet still light. This version uses sparkling water and resting the batter, so the crepes cook evenly and don’t tear when rolled.
Sweet crepes with twaróg are a classic of Polish home cooking, often competing with lazy pierogi for the title of favourite sweet main course. In many families the cheese filling is additionally flavoured with lemon zest or raisins, depending on the region and household tradition.
Crepes with farmers cheese and vanilla combine delicate, elastic pancakes with a creamy, vanilla-scented filling that isn’t overly sweet. The dish feels like both dessert and breakfast at once, which is why it so often appears on lazy, late mornings. In Polish homes everyone has their own cheese trick – more grainy, smoothly blended, or with added lemon zest.
Why this version works
- Sparkling water lightens the batter so the crepes are thin yet elastic.
- Resting the batter allows the flour to hydrate and reduces the risk of tearing when flipping.
- Cream or yogurt in the filling gives a creamy texture without lumps or dryness.
Chef's tips
Treat the first crepe as a test – if it comes out too thick, thin the batter with 1–2 tablespoons of milk; if it’s too thin and tears, add a tablespoon of flour., It’s easy to overdo the sugar in the cheese, especially if you plan to serve the crepes with jam or a sweet sauce – it’s better to sweeten more on the plate., If the cheese filling is dry and crumbly, don’t reach for more sugar right away; add a tablespoon of cream or yogurt until it becomes smooth and easy to spread over the crepe.
How to serve
Serve warm with melted butter and powdered sugar, or with a quick sauce made from heated frozen raspberries or sour cherries., For a weekend breakfast, add fresh fruit and a large coffee with milk or hot cocoa, and for guests set up a “toppings station” with jams, fruit and whipped cream.
Watch out for
- Batter that’s too thick will give you heavy, thick pancakes; if needed, thin it with a little milk.
- Too thick a layer of filling will make the crepes crack when rolling and pan-frying.
- A pan that’s not hot enough causes the batter to smear and stick instead of setting evenly.
Substitutions
- Replace part of the milk with kefir or buttermilk for more elastic crepes.
- Use thick Greek yogurt instead of cream in the cheese filling for a lighter version.
- Mix semi-fat twaróg half-and-half with cream cheese for a more dessert-like filling.
Ingredients
- flour wheat - 200 g
- milk - 350 ml
- sparkling water - 100 ml
- egg - 2 piece
- oil vegetable - 2 tablespoon
- semi-fat twaróg - 400 g
- sugar - 3 tablespoon
- vanilla sugar or vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
- cream 18% or natural yogurt - 3 tablespoon
- salt - 0.25 teaspoon
- butter - 20 g
Preparation
- Add the flour, salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar to a bowl. Add the eggs, pour in the milk and sparkling water, then whisk or blend until you have a smooth, pourable batter without lumps that runs off a spoon in a thin stream.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil, mix again and let the batter rest for 10–20 minutes. It will thicken slightly but should still spread easily over the bottom of the pan when you tilt it.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling: transfer the twaróg to a bowl and mash it with a fork or blend it, depending on whether you prefer a smooth mass or one with small cheese grains.
- Add 2 tablespoons of sugar, the vanilla sugar or extract, and the cream or yogurt. Mix to a creamy, thick filling that spreads easily and isn’t dry; taste and add more sugar if needed.
- Heat a crepe pan over medium heat. Before the first crepe, lightly grease it with a little oil or a piece of butter so the surface just glistens, without puddles of fat.
- Pour a ladleful of batter into the pan and quickly tilt it so the batter covers the bottom in a thin layer. Fry for 1–2 minutes until the edges are lightly golden, start lifting away from the pan, and the top is no longer wet.
- Flip the crepe with a spatula or a toss and fry for about 1 more minute, until the second side is lightly golden. Transfer finished crepes to a plate, stacking them.
- Repeat frying, adding a little oil every few crepes if the batter starts to stick. Cover the cooked crepes with a cloth or lid so the edges don’t dry out and stay soft.
- Spread 1–2 tablespoons of the cheese filling over each slightly cooled crepe. Spread it thinly, leaving a small margin at the edges, then roll up or fold into envelopes, pressing the ends gently.
- Just before serving, fry the filled crepes in butter for 1–2 minutes on each side until lightly golden and the cheese inside is clearly warm and more fluid. Serve immediately with powdered sugar or fruit sauce.
Storage
Store filled crepes with cheese in the fridge for up to 2 days, tightly covered; the crepes soften slightly but become elastic again after a quick re-fry. After freezing, reheat in the oven or in a covered pan until the centre is hot and the cheese creamy again.
When there’s a lonely tub of twaróg in my fridge, it almost always ends up as the vanilla filling for these crepes – my go-to for a lazy, sweet lunch.
