How to make, fill and fold traditional apple blintzes – golden pancakes wrapped around a spiced fruit filling. A delicious vegetarian dessert!
What is a blintz?
Blintzes are traditional Ashkenazi Jewish filled pancakes. They are made by pouring a thin batter into a frying pan and cooking to make a crepe-style pancake. However unlike crepes, blintz pancakes (sometimes known in Yiddish as bletlach or ‘leaves’) are fried on one side only. Each pancake is then folded around a filling, cooked-side innermost, and the whole parcel fried again until golden brown.
The batter for making blintzes typically contains flour, eggs, and milk or water. Dairy blintzes may be fried in butter while parve blintzes are cooked in oil.
Blintze fillings
Blintzes can be prepared with a range of savoury or sweet fillings. Savoury fillings include potato, mushroom, and kasha (buckwheat). They may be served with a sauce or without.
Sweet fillings include various fruits and compotes such as berries and cherries. The most popular sweet filling for blintzes is a rich cheese mixture, sometimes also containing raisins. Sweet blintzes are often served with a dollop of sour cream.
When are blintzes eaten?
Cheese blintzes are traditionally eaten on Shavuot, along with other dairy-rich foods.
Blintzes are also served at Chanukah, when fried foods are in abundance.
However they are also served up at anytime of year, because they are just so delicious! They can be served for breakfast or brunch, or as dessert after a larger meal.
How to make blintzes
Blintzes are surprisingly simple to make. The basic batter consists of the following everyday ingredients:
- flour
- eggs
- milk, water, or a non-dairy milk (I use oat milk)
- oil or melted butter
To make the batter for blintzes, first put the flour into a mixing bowl or a large jug, and make a well in the centre. Whisk the liquid ingredients together in another jug, and pour about a third of the mixture into the well in the middle of the flour. Use a balloon whisk to gradually incorporate the flour into the liquid.
As the batter gets thicker and harder to whisk, pour in a little more liquid. Continue in this way until all the liquid is added and all the flour absorbed. You should be left with a smooth batter, with the consistency of single cream.
Ideally, you should leave the batter to stand for at least half an hour before frying it into pancakes. This gives the flour time to absorb the liquid and expand. You may find that your batter thickens slightly during this time as a result.
It’s also possible to whisk up your blintz batter and store it in the fridge overnight, ready to fry the next day. Be sure to cover it tightly if you do this.
How to fold blintzes
Once the pancakes have been prepared, simply add your chosen filling and fold/roll them up. The easiest way is as follows:
- Place your pancake cooked side uppermost, and put a spoonful of filling in the centre of the pancake
- Fold in each side of the pancake to partly cover the filling
- Cover the filling completely by folding up the bottom of the pancake
- Fold down the top of the pancake, to make an ‘envelope’
- Flip the filled blintz over so the ‘seam’ is underneath
I asked my daughter Kipper to draw a diagram to illustrate the process. Here’s what she came up with!
Not bad eh? (Proud Mum kvelling here!)
Spiced apple blintzes
My Mum used to make apple blintzes as a dessert, especially after a meat meal. She used a smooth apple puree mixed with raisins and cinnamon for the filling.
I prefer my apple blintzes to have a bit more texture, so I use chopped apples which I mix with spices and a little brown sugar. I then fry the apples in butter until soft. My Mum used to add raisins to the mixture, and I considered it, but at the last minute decided to leave them out. If you’re a big raisin fan, feel free to throw a handful in!
Apple blintzes – fry or bake?
Traditionally, blintzes would be fried a second time after they were filled and folded. However frying them one by one, or even a few at a time, is a time-consuming and labour intensive task. Not to mention that it’s difficult to serve a crowd all at once using this method.
Instead, my Mum would arrange the filled apple blintzes in a well-greased dish and bake them in the oven to crisp the outsides. This meant she could cook a large batch and have them all ready to serve at the same time.
I’ve gone with my Mum’s method and given instructions for how to bake these delicious apple blintzes to golden perfection. However you’re welcome to fry them individually in the time honoured way if you prefer!
Apple blintzes – toppings
There are a range of classic toppings and accompaniments served with blintzes. These include sour cream, applesauce, and berry sauces such as strawberry or blueberry.
Apple blintzes like these are also sometimes dusted with cinnamon sugar – yum!
My favourite topping for these yummy apple blintzes is a yogurt or sour cream. A cool dollop of creaminess to compliment the hot blintz with its slightly tangy fruit filling is absolutely delicious!
A traditional make-ahead dessert
Although these aren’t quite cooked in the traditional way, apple blintzes are still a very traditional Ashkenazi dish. Another benefit of baking them rather than doing a second round of frying is that they can be prepared ahead of time.
Then, about half an hour before you want to serve them, just pop them into the oven! What could be easier?
You can use this ‘prepare and bake’ method for any kind of blintzes – cheese blintzes, savoury blintzes, or whatever takes your fancy.
Apple blintzes for a crowd
This recipe makes 12 delicious filled and folded baked apple blintzes. I would say this serves 6 people, but they are very delicious, so it might only serve 4!
Only you know your family and friends, so I’ll leave it to you to estimate how many people 12 blintzes will feed!
If you want deliciously easy, family-friendly recipes like this one delivered straight to your inbox, simply click here to subscribe. (Of course, I’ll never pass on your email address to anyone.)
📖 Recipe
Apple blintzes
Equipment
- Kitchen scales
- Measuring jugs
- Balloon whisk
- Pancake pan
- cup measures
- Pancake turner/spatula
- Baking dish
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
For the pancakes
- 125 g plain flour
- pinch salt
- 2 eggs
- 225 ml milk (or non-dairy alternative)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter or vegetable oil
For the apple filling
- 6 dessert apples – I used braeburn
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon mixed spice (or use your favourite sweet spice blend, or just more cinnamon)
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 50 g butter (or 3 tablespoon oil)
For frying and baking
- 2 tablespoon melted butter (or vegetable oil)
Toppings (optional)
- cinnamon sugar
- sour cream
Instructions
To make the pancake batter
- Place the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre.
- Whisk the eggs, milk and oil together. Pour about ¼ of the mixture into the well in the flour. Gently whisk, gradually drawing the flour into the liquid. As the batter starts to form, add the rest of the liquid a little at a time, whisking in the flour bit by bit. Eventually you should have a smooth batter with the consistency of single cream.
- Set aside the batter to stand while you make the apple filling.
To make the apple filling
- Peel and core the apples and chop the flesh into roughly 1cm (⅓ inch) cubes. Mix with the spices and brown sugar.
- Heat the butter (or oil) in a skillet over a medium heat. Add the apple pieces and cook, stirring, for about 8-10 minutes. The juices, sugar and butter will thicken to a sticky and delicious syrup that coats the fruit pieces. Once the apple pieces are cooked through, transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
To fry the pancakes
- Brush a 22cm (9 inch) frying pan with a thin layer of butter, and heat over a low-medium flame.
- Each pancake should use approx. 40ml of batter – I used a ¼ cup measure and filled it about ⅔ full and this gave about the right amount. Slowly pour the batter into the frying pan with one hand, while simultaneously tilting and swirling the pan with the other, to create a thin layer of batter over the base of the pan.
- Cook the pancake for about 1-2 minutes until the top looks dry, and the edges are starting to lift from the pan and turn slightly brown.
- Remove the pancake from the pan and place on a plate ready for use. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 12 pancakes in total.
Fill the pancakes
- Brush melted butter over the base and sides of an ovenproof baking dish approximately 20 x 28 cm (8 x 11 inches).
- Place a pancake cooked side UP on a flat work surface. Spoon approximately 2 tablespoon of apple filling into a rectangle in the centre of the pancake. Fold up the ends over the filling, then fold first one side, and then the other, to give an apple-filled pancake parcel. Congratulations! You have made a blintz!
- Place the apple blintz in the prepared dish. Continue to fill and fold the remaining pancakes and place them in the baking dish until they are all done.
To bake and serve
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F)
- Brush the blitzes with the remaining melted butter. Bake in the preheated oven for around 25-30 minutes until they are golden brown and crisp on top.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if using, and serve hot, with sour cream if desired.
Nutrition
More delicious recipes with pancakes
If you enjoyed these delicious apple blintzes, you might also like this gorgeous cheese blintz crepe cake, or these savoury buckwheat crepes with creamy asparagus and green beans.
Or if you’re after more Jewish-inspired breakfast and brunch ideas, how about Queen Esther’s Toast, an Israeli breakfast platter, or the Full Jewish Breakfast?
I’m joining in with #CookBlogShare
Marsh
I thought that literally I have made all the deserts there was. So I am very excited to find this. My only question can they be prepared ahead of time and kept refrigerated or can they be completely prepared and frozen and then rewarmed. If fryed and frozen how would you rewarm. Looking forward to your response
Helen
Hi Marsh. Yes, you can certainly prepare these ahead of time. Make and fill the pancakes and arrange in the serving dish. Then you can cover and refrigerate the blintzes until you’re ready. When you want to serve them, brush the tops with melted butter and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 25-30 minutes until golden and heated through.
I haven’t tried freezing – I think it might adversely affect the texture of the apple filling. However you can certainly freeze the unfilled blintzes (crepes), then thaw, fill etc. when you need them.
I hope this helps! All the best, Helen.
Midge & Millie @ Peachicks' Bakery
Oooh these sound amazing! Love anything with apple in it and what a great idea to stuff them with savoury fillings too #CookBlogShare
Helen
Thanks! We’re big apple fans too 🙂
Francine Wiederhorn
Love blintzes and this recipe. Do you have a crepe recipe for Passover?
Helen
Thanks Francine! I don’t have a recipe for Passover crepes here on family-friends-food, although there is one for chocolate crepes in my Pesach cookbook which is available as a download.
Choclette
Ooh my, these sound right up my street. But why have I never heard of blintzes before? And more importantly, why have I never eaten one. I’m fairly familiar with savoury stuffed pancakes, but never quite had them in this style before and never with apple.
Helen
I’m surprised you’ve not come across them before as they’re not exactly a well-kept secret! Cheese blintzes (sweet) are the most ‘famous’ but I really love this apple version. I hope you enjoy them if you try them!
Jess
This spiced apple filling is everything!
Helen
Thanks Jess! It’s great isn’t it, so much flavour from something so EASY!
veenaazmanov
This sounds interesting for a Tea Time Treat. Love to try making some when I have my Kitty Parties too. Delicious for sure.
Helen
Thanks Veena. It’s great for tea time! My daughter Kipper and I enjoyed some that way too.
Alisa Infanti
So delicious… I topped with a little drizzle of caramel too… so good!
Helen
oooh, caramel – YUM! Great idea Alisa 🙂
Beth Sachs
I’ve never heard of these before but we love pancakes and we love apples so I’m definitely going to be trying this recipe out soon!
Helen
Thanks Beth – I’m sure you’ll love them!
Danielle Wolter
These were just incredible! A huge hit at our house, will def be making them again!
Helen
Thanks Danielle! So glad to hear you all enjoyed them.