Mini Whole Wheat Chocolate Crepe Basket with Mandarin and Strawberry

 

These Crepe baskets are fun to make and are low fat versions, which pairs well with fruits and you can add on dollops of Ice Cream as well [we need to make up for the lost calories].

I have adapted the Crepe basket idea from the lovely Desserts book - "Desserts - All around the year" by Martha Day. It has a lot of interesting recipes and ideas. There is something for everybody in it. I adapted the recipe with a "Low Fat" take on it and enjoyed them guilt-free!

Ingredients -

For Crepe Basket -

* Wheat Flour - 1 + 1/4 cups [Sifted twice]

* Milk - 1 cup [I used 2% Milk or Low Fat]

* Sugar - 1/4 cup [Increase to 1/2 cup, if you like it sweeter]

* Egg whites - 2 nos

* Cocoa powder - 2 tbsp [sifted]

* Grape juice - 1/2 cup [I used Welch's 100% Grape juice]

* Salt - a pinch

* Oil - 2 tbsp [For greasing]

For Fruits -

* Strawberry - 2 cups [hulled and cut into 4]

* Mandarin - 1 cup [sliced small]

* Sugar - 1 tbsp

* Mandarin / Orange juice - 3 tbsp

Cooking -

For Crepe Basket -

1. Sift twice the Wheat flour, Cocoa powder and salt into a large bowl.

2. Separate the Egg whites and add the whites into the sifted Flour mixture. Into it add the Milk, Sugar and Grape juice and mix well using a whisk and remove all lumps.

3. Grease a non-stick pan and let it get warm on medium-heat on a Stove. Once it gets warm enough, pour the Crepe mixture using a ladle or scoop and form a 4-5 inch circle. Give it 1-2 mins and reverse the Crepe to cook the other side as well.

4. Once done, remove the Crepe and let it rest on an Aluminium foil. Grease the pan and do the same to form similar Crepe for the rest of the mixture and let it rest separately on the foil.

5. After finishing the Crepe mixture, grease the reverse / bottom side of the Cupcake pan and place the Crepe on each mold separately. Place the Cupcake pan into a preheated Oven at 350 Degree Fahrenheit for about 10-15 mins. The Crepe's lose their moisture and starts holding the shape of the mold.

6. Remove from the Oven and let it rest for a few minutes, then carefully unmold them.

Note 

* If you like your Crepe soft and not crisp, you can forego Step 5 and 6.

For Fruits -

1. Mix the hulled and sliced Strawberries and sliced Mandarin in a bowl with the Sugar and Orange juice.

2. Refrigerate the Fruits for 30 mins and serve them cold over the Crepe Basket. They are best served fresh.

The Crepe basket making is a fun activity for the kids.