Raw Chocolate Raspberry Crepes for Vegan & Gluten-Free Decadence

Today we have a special recipe to share from the new cookbook, Modern Raw: Healthy Raw Vegan Meals for a Balanced Life by Rachel Carr. We often stick to the simpler recipes here on Go Dairy Free, but this is an adventurous cookbook that I wanted to properly represent. Rachel’s recipes range from easy 10-minute combinations to these impressive raw chocolate raspberry crepes. And you shouldn’t feel intimidated. The hands-on time with this dessert-meets-breakfast treat is actually rather short!

Raw Chocolate Raspberry Crepes Layered with Vegan & Gluten-Free Decadence

This is really three recipes in one. You can enjoy them altogether as a brunch masterpiece, or you can use just one or two. We like the chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries together, which is super fast to make. The chocolate sauce goes on, well, just about anything. And the crepes can be enjoyed simple with nut butter and fruit for a wholesome breakfast. Or you can fill the crepes with dairy-free nice cream and top with the chocolate sauce. But if you decide to go for the whole shebang, I have a few tips to add.

• Make the ganache and sauce after you flip the crepes, during the second half of dehydration. This will help to time everything seamlessly.
• Rachel includes a substitute for the Thai coconut meat, if needed. But you can buy frozen Thai coconut meat in a pinch. Just defrost it before using.
• You can use a small blender, like a Magic Bullet, instead of a food processor for the ganache – it works great! I use a Ninja, which has both the large pitcher and small blending cups.
• If you’re in a hurry with the ganache, you can briefly freeze it. You just want the coconut oil to set up, so you can freeze the mixture for about 15 minutes if you don’t have time to wait for it to set up in the refrigerator.
• Rachel doesn’t pre-soak the cashews in the chocolate sauce because she’s using them for thickening. If preferred, you can use sprouted cashews, or you can soak them, but only add water as needed to get the right consistency.
• Go ahead and make this recipe ahead. As Rachel notes, both the crepe batter and the crepes themselves can be stored in the refrigerator. The ganache will change color slightly in the fridge when stored overnight, but it will still be as healthy and delicious. You can add a light squeeze of lemon juice to keep it fresher.

Now enjoy this delicious recipe and get yourself a copy of Modern Raw. This cookbook combines purely raw techniques with dehydration and light cooking to give you options that you will enjoy year round.

Special Diet Notes: Raw Chocolate Raspberry Crepes

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.

Raw Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Crepes

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

9 hours

Total time

9 hours 30 mins

 

Some recipes are worth the work! These delicate crepe shells are stunning with the rich chocolate ganache and bright raspberries. You will be amazed at how well the avocado replaces dairy and eggs in the ganache. Young Thai coconuts are available in health food stores and Asian markets. They are white with pointy tops, and the water inside is delicious. You cut them open with a heavy knife (I strongly recommend you watch some videos online if you have never done this before), empty out the water/juice and then scoop out the fresh meat with a spoon. If you can’t find the coconuts, then just replace with an equal amount of fresh banana.

Author: Rachel Carr

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: French

Serves: 10 crepes; serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Crepe Shells

• ¼ cup (40 g) golden flaxseeds (brown flax is okay, but golden looks prettier)
• 1 cup (64 g) hulled and sliced strawberries
• ½ cup (251 g) young Thai coconut meat
• ½ cup (118 ml) water
• 1 banana
• 1 tablespoon (30 ml) maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt

Chocolate Ganache Filling

• 1½ small ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
• ¼ cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) melted coconut oil
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup (55 g) raw cacao powder

Chocolate Sauce

• 1 cup (236 ml) agave nectar or maple syrup
• ½ cup (69 g) cashews
• ½ cup (55 g) raw cacao powder
• ½ cup (118 ml) water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

To Assemble

• 2 cups (250 g) raspberries
• 1 small bunch mint, for garnish

Instructions

1. For the crepe shells, in a dry blender, process the whole flaxseeds on high speed until finely ground. Remove from the blender and measure out ¼ cup (40 g) of ground flax. Put the measured ground flax back into the blender and add the remaining crepe shell ingredients. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute.
2. On a nonstick sheet (see Notes) spread the crepe batter into a thin layer and put into the dehydrator. You should get several trays of crepe batter, depending on the size of your dehydrator. If you have a small dehydrator, you can process the batter in batches. It will keep in your refrigerator for a few days. It may separate, and if this happens just blend it again in your blender. Dehydrate the crepe shells for 5 hours at 90°F (32°C).
3. After 5 hours, check them and see whether you can flip the nonstick sheet over and peel it away from the sheet of crepe batter. Carefully peel off the plastic and return the sheet of crepe batter to the dehydrator to finish drying another 3 to 5 hours at 90°F (32°C). The crepe should be flexible, so be careful not to overdry it, or it may become brittle. Remove the finished sheets of crepe batter from the dehydrator. Using a small plate or cup as a guide, cut out 3- to 5-inch (7.5- to 12.5-cm) rounds with a small knife. Wrap the finished shells in plastic wrap and place in your refrigerator. They will keep for several weeks stored in this way.
4. For the chocolate ganache filling, in a food processor, puree the avocado flesh until smooth. This will probably be too thick to process in a blender, so a food processor is recommended. Then, add the maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla. Process until smooth. Finally, add the cacao powder and process until the chocolate is fully incorporated. Refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours, or until the mixture begins to set up enough to spread, almost a thick peanut butter consistency.
5. To make the chocolate sauce, add all of the sauce ingredients to a blender. Puree until smooth. Keep refrigerated. This will last up to 2 weeks.
6. To assemble the finished chocolate raspberry crepes, spread a few tablespoons of the chocolate ganache down the center of each of the 10 crepe shells. Place 4 raspberries on top of each ganache stripe. Roll the shell into a cylinder, using a little bit of the sticky ganache to help seal the roll overlap (this will help keep it from coming open). Assemble the crepes right before you are going to serve them, as the filling will start to make the crepe shells soggy if they sit for too long. Garnish with fresh mint.

Notes

Notes: I recommend making this recipe only if you have a dehydrator! The crepes are pretty delicate and should be made at the lowest temperature possible. Although I recommend elsewhere using your oven as a dehydrator, I think it will be too hot, potentially making the crepes too crisp, and not sufficiently flexible.
When spreading out the crepe batter, you can use a nonstick sheet made for dehydrators, called Teflex, or you can wrap your dehydrator trays in plastic wrap.

Reprinted with permission from Modern Raw by Rachel Carr, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Rachel Carr.

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