Waffle-Iron Quesadilla/Crepe roundup: Simple Recipes for Kids: Kid Crepes!
Our house is full of picky eaters but for some reason almost anything is acceptable that comes on a tortilla! I get it, tortillas are delicious! So, our family got out all the ingredients in our cupboards and refrigerator to come up with 10 “kid crepes” we thought you might enjoy.
ELEVATED QUESADILLAS
Our house loves quesadillas. Somewhere along the way, the easiest go-to recipe in our house became quesadillas! Sundays are often the busiest days of our week, so we often toss half a dozen quesadillas on the griddle or in the microwave for lunch.
Even my pre-school aged children can make quesadillas. A couple of tortillas topped with cheese, thrown into the microwave and Voila!: lunch, an afternoon snack, or a lazy-night dinner.
But, feeling a little guilty about the amount of cheese and flour my kids were consuming, I needed something a little new and different. So, I started experimenting with different ingredients in our fridge. And, you know what?, just about anything covered in cheese or peanut butter and toasted is still a simple and delicious snack!
NEEDING A BREAK FROM QUESADILLAS?
So, we came up with these little treats that my kids are asking for over and over. We started calling them KID CREPES.
No, these aren’t those oh-so-gooey, decadent, or even deliciously-savory Parisian street-side crepes. But, they aren’t quite quesadillas either.
Somewhere at the intersection of quesadilla, crepe, and sandwich KID CREPES were born. These little snack/lunch/dessert ideas were whipped up with the spicy, savory, and sweet in mind, so they are for all ages and all tastes!
I think that many of them are perfect for a quick dinner, and some of them are great for throwing into a bag for the pool, practice, or lunches. The tortillas make a perfect no-drip envelope that will keep honey, jelly, and even gooey chocolate from dripping down faces, car interiors, or clean clothes!
So, let’s get on with it
WHAT IS A KID CREPE?
What are kid crepes? The starting point for each one of these little creations is a simple tortilla. I recommend BIG tortillas, burrito size, or even a sandwich wrap.
We discovered these delicious tomato basil OLE brand whole wheat tortillas, and they were gone in about 5 minutes.
Next, make a cut down the radius of the tortilla so that you have 4 quadrants that will fold over on themselves.
Then, add your ingredients.
I like to put one, maybe two, ingredients in each quadrant. That way, it creates a beautiful, perfect stack of flavors rather than a complete mash.
After each quadrant is coated with the ingredient of choice, simply start at the radial cut, and stack each quadrant on top of the other ending with a sort of triangle or cone.
Finally, toss that kid crepe on a Panini press, the griddle, or, our personal favorite: THE WAFFLE IRON!!!
We use this exact waffle iron, but ours is a little worse for wear! We love it!
The waffle iron gets it nice and hot on both sides, leaves those adorable little toasty lines, and is simple to use with minimal clean up.
Be sure that you coat the waffle iron with a little bit of cooking spray before adding your kid crepes. If not, the sauce, peanut butter, or avocado might like to ooze right out the side and burn into your waffles forever!!
Is your mouth watering yet? Do you need a little bit of inspiration for your kid crepes?
10 recommendations for making your own kid crepes!
1. The PBJ: Peanut Butter, Jelly
The classic. Never disappoints. I like to do a double peanut butter to jelly ratio, but you could live on the dangerous side if you prefer!
If you have a peanut aversion or allergy, try it with almond butter or cashew butter instead.
2. The Vegan: Almond Butter, Honey, and Banana
Want all the delicious comfort of a peanut butter and jelly but want to kick things up a notch? Sub honey for the jelly, and add a few slices of banana.
To make it a little more hipster, forget the peanut butter entirely and spread your favorite nut butter, seed butter, or even chocolate spread!
The Vegan
3. The Dessert: Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chips, and Banana
Speaking of chocolate, when can you go wrong with the peanut butter/chocolate combo? Don’t want to confuse this dish for a dessert? Add a few slices of banana for a fruity flavor that converts this from a treat to a healthy snack! (Wink, I won’t tell anyone otherwise!)
Chocolate Chips, Banana, and Peanut Butter
4. The Savory: Cream Cheese, Ham, and Tomato
Ok, I couldn’t get my kids to eat this one, but it is good. Plain cream cheese is great, but try it with a garlic and onion or tomato basil spread, and you won’t be able to stop eating these.
Top the next quadrant with a hearty slice of tomato, then ham.
Press it in your waffle iron, and you have a toasted finger sandwich! Add cucumbers, romain, or even onions and peppers if you want to really change it up.
Or, sub the cream cheese for hummus, and make it a Mediterranean!!
No one could blame you for sharing lunch with the kids if you were actually having a Mediterranean-style crepe!
5. The Toasty Three Cheese
Don’t confuse this with your standard quesadilla. Mix it up by shredding multiple kids of cheese. Add mozzarella, Colby, and even cheddar cheese to your tortilla. Wrap it up; waffle-iron it, and enjoy! A crispy, melty, gooey grilled cheese!
Three Cheese
6. The Southwest: Chicken, Avocado, Salsa, and Cheese
The first time that we made this one, we used seasoned and grilled chicken breast. It was great.
But, the second, third, and fourth time we made these (can you see that we really love this one!), we made it with leftover taco meat, and it was even better!
In one quadrant add the chicken mixture, in the next add the avocado and salsa so that they didn’t mix into the taco meat, and in the third and fourth, add LOTS OF CHEESE!
These are my husband’s favorite!
Southwest Chicken, Avocado, Salsa, and Cheese
7. The Breakfast: Egg, Bacon, and Cheese
Need a quick hot breakfast? Grab your waffle iron, your tortilla, some scrambled egg, and whatever breakfast meat you have in the refrigerator. We have done these with bacon, ham, and turkey. All of them have been great!
If you have crumbly eggs, this one can get a little tricky, so I suggest scrambling your egg up into a little egg patty!
Eggs, Bacon, and Cheese
8. The Avocado Breakfast: Egg, Avocado, and Cheese
More avocado for breakfast? Yes, please!
While I was making The Breakfast for my daughter, I scrambled an extra egg for myself. I added avocado, salsa, and cheese for a delicious, crunchy breakfast that didn’t roll down the front of my work clothes.
9. The Pizza: Pizza Sauce, Pepperoni, and Mozzarella
For my son’s personal favorite, look no further than your favorite pizza toppings. Sauce, pepperoni, and cheese are what keep him happy, but I like to add mushrooms, olives, spinach, sausage, onion, or any other veggie that I have in the refrigerator.
These pizza kid crepes are a lot easier than baking an entire pizza and far more portable.
Sauce, Pepperoni, and Cheese
10. THE BLT!
Summer is coming, and that means BLTs! I can remember entire weeks of our summers growing up when my dad would eat nothing but BLTs.
So, when that bumper crop of tomatoes comes in, you have to come up with as many ways to eat tomatoes as you can. Why not skip some of the bread and sub it out for a delicious whole grain tortilla?
Add tomato to one quadrant, your lettuce to the next, and finally: THE BACON.
Go nuts: add cheese if you want! It’s your party!
These kid crepes have become our house’s new favorite lazy dinner meal, hot and quick lunch, and even special make-your-own breakfast.
Kids reaching for kid crepes 
YUM!
They are quick, simple, and hot and can be made with almost anything in your refrigerator!
I would love to see your kid crepes, your ideas, or your feedback.
Want some help with meal planning or meal budgeting?
