Rolls with Jam
Growing up my brother, cousins, and I always begged my nonna, mom or auntie to make us “rolls with jam”. They were our favorite treat and seemed so special because they would make them out of a few simple ingredients in just a few minutes. Nonna always rationed them out to us (2/kid) but my brother would have the majority of them (as in, at least 6). They are still one of his favorite treats. Nonna calls them “omLETTE” and we always called them rolls with jam. I believe they should be properly known as crepes, but I will always simply call them rolls with jam.
I may have called my brother to make him jealous the night I made these. π
These are a great dessert to make when you have last minute guests or feel like having a special treat. You can serve them they way I usually do, rolled up with orange marmalade and sprinkled with powdered sugar, or you can get creative. However you choose to eat these, it will be worth the few minutes of effort it took to make them. There are a few tips below the recipe; be sure to check them out.
And now I present, my favorite childhood dessert of all (besides ricotta balls)…. Rolls with Jam!
Rolls with Jam
Yields 8
Ingredients:
4 heaping tablespoons of flour
2 flat tablespoons of sugar
1 egg
pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of lemon zest
“approximately” 1/2 cup milk (add as needed to reach the right consistency)
butter for frying
powder sugar to decorate
Filling:
Orange marmalade, or any other filling you choose!
Directions:
* Mix all ingredients in bowl
* Heat non-stick skillet to medium-high heat
* Melt butter in pan (1/3 teaspoon for each roll, just enough to spread in pan)
* Pour an almost full ladle of batter into the frying pan and immediately swirl the pan to cover the entire surface evenly with batter
* Cook until edges loosen and bubbling begins (approximately 45- 60 seconds- the edges will turn up)
* Flip. After about 30 seconds remove from pan and spread a thin layer of your filling over one half and roll up
* Sprinkle with powdered sugar
* Finally, eat as many as you can π
Tips:
– The batter should be realllly thin. Add enough milk to reach that consistency.
– If you like things a little sweeter you can add a capful of vanilla extract to the batter.
– Don’t worry about the first couple not looking great… for some reason the first ones are never right!
– If you don’t want to use butter use something (Smart Balance, etc) because it makes the crepe brown nicely and helps the batter to be distributed evenly (slick pan).
– Any kind of milk you have in your fridge is fine.
– Don’t be afraid to adjust the batter after you see the first couple cook.. I usually add a little more milk if the crepe looks a little flat.
– Don’t add too much batter to the pan. One small ladle is enough- you want these to be really thin!
My favorite classic combos:
1. Low sugar apricot jam (it has little bits of peel in it and is just amazing)
2. Nutella + banana slices
3. Nutella on its own
4. Orange marmalade
5. Strawberry preserves (not my favorite at all).
These really make a big statement when stacked next to each other on a nice tray and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Your guests are sure to love them!!!
Good luck, and enjoy!
I love crepes… bananas and nutella.. that would be my favorite combo!
Those look delish! I’ve never tried making crepes before but you’ve inspired me. π
I’ve never tried to make crepes before, it has always intimidated me! I would definitely fill mine with nutella and banana!
These sound amazing! Love anything crepe-ish. Once again, I am in love with your recipe!
Or in sweden they are called “Swedish Pancakes..” π I love those things! sooo tasty.. we make them all the time over here. they’re even better if you do them on a pan over a bomb fire!!! π
that brings back memories of when my Oma used to make those for us.
we always had them with Nutella and of course just with Sugar and Cinnamon.
I’ve never had a crepe! They look super tasty- simple recipes are always the best (in my opinion!!)
Yum! I remember my 9th grade French teacher brought in a hot plate one day and cooked crepes for our class. π
How big is your ladle? The only one I have is fairly large so I was trying to figure out what a more appropriate amount of batter would work. Maybe 1/4 or 1/3 cup?
@Laura, The lady is probably about 1/4 cup… very small. I should have clarified that.
They are much much better eaten right away, but you can keep them warm in the oven for a few minutes if you must. They are so fast to cook though that I don’t see why you would make them on the spot!
I also meant to ask if these can be made ahead and warmed in the oven or if they really need to be cooked and eaten immediately?
I am sure your grandma’s will be better, but you can get pretty good rolls with jam at Penn.
mouth is watering now! yum!
Those look so yummy! I had no idea they were so simple to make! I am definitely trying these!
we had a similar thing when we were younger, except they were made with fresh homemade tortillas. my nana would spread one with jam (strawberry tasted the best) and roll it up- we called them “jam things.” every time we went to nana’s house, we’d beg her for jam things π
love your recipe, i’ll have to try it- tom LOVES crepes π
hope you’re having a good week!
xoxo
wowza—that’s look fab. I cannot be trusted with nutella but I imagine it would taste ridiculously good. I’m with your brother on the 6 count.
These look delicious! I love crepes, so I am sure these would be a winner too. I’ll add this to my list of things to make!
These are bringing back childhood memories for me, too. My best friend’s grandmother used to make them for us on afternoons when she was watching us at her house in the south of France. I distinctly remember sitting by her pool in our bathing suits, soaking wet, stuffing our faces with crepes rolled with Nutella. To be a little kid again!
I think my favorite combo would be bananas + Nutella. π
It’s always so fun to recreate old family favorites…hope your brother wasn’t too jealous.
These are getting bookmarked for my next potluck brunch. Thanks Sabrina, and I hope you have a good day!
These sound so good right now!! My dad used to make these all the time (usually with berries and whipped cream with some powdered sugar sprinkled on…he’s fancy like that). He always stuck with a very shallow skillet- it makes flipping them a lot easier. Just my two cents. π
@Megan (Braise The Roof), Yes that is a FABULOUS tip! Thank you!