Folded up and filled with caramelized apples and cinnamon, these Beggar's purses (aka crepe purses) are the most elegant way to serve apple cinnamon crepes. Add this simple recipe to your menu to surprise your family and guests.
Apple cinnamon crepes recipe
Once you have mastered French crepes, try serving them as Beggar's purses, elegant crepe bundles tied and filled with caramelized apples and warm cinnamon. This simple twist turns apple crepes into a show-stopping dessert.
Make crepes ahead of time, fill with seasonal fruits, and get creative with sweet and savory variations.
If you love apple desserts, try easy Apple Pancakes, simple Apple Crumble Bread, or an effortless Sponge Apple Cake.
What is a Beggar's purse?
Beggar's purse is a crepe tied like a pouch, originally filled with caviar and crème fraîche, and now often made as a dessert with sweet fillings.
Its name comes from the pouch-like alms purse carried in the 14th century to give money to the poor. In French, it is called aumônière de crêpes, where "aumônière" translates to "chaplain."
Ingredients
For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.
- Eggs: Use whole, large eggs at room temperature.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour.
- Milk: Choose whole, 2%, or 1% milk.
- Vanilla extract: Add Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla for flavor.
- Orange flower water: Add optionally to bring aroma.
- Salt: Add to enhance flavor.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter. Melt it for batter, and cube for caramel.
- Apples: Select Golden or Granny Smith. They keep their shape when cooked.
- Sugar: Use granulated white for caramel.
- Orange juice: Use fresh-squeezed or store-bought.
- Cinnamon: Add ground cinnamon for flavor in apples.
How to make cinnamon apple crepes
Sift flour into a large bowl. Add eggs, salt, vanilla, and orange flower water, then whisk. Gradually add water and cold milk, mixing well. Stir in melted butter and let the batter rest for 2 hours.
Heat a crepe pan and pour about ¼ cup of batter, swirling to coat the bottom. Cook until edges are golden, then flip and brown the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.
For the filling, peel and cube apples. Melt sugar with water in a pan until caramelized, then add butter. Stir in apples, orange juice, and cinnamon, cooking gently for 10 minutes.
Place a tablespoon of apple filling on each crepe. Gather the edges to form a pouch and secure with toothpicks. Serve 1 or 2 per person.
Expert tips
- Rest the crepe batter for 2 hours. This helps the flour fully hydrate, making your crepes tender and easy to fold.
- Use a nonstick crepe for smooth, even cooking and easy flipping without tearing.
- Cook crepes over medium-low heat to avoid burning and get a nice golden color.
- Caramelize sugar slowly. Be patient with the caramel to develop a rich flavor without burning.
- Keep crepes warm. Stack cooked crepes between sheets of parchment paper and cover with a kitchen towel to stay soft and pliable while you finish.
Filling ideas for Beggar's purses
Sweet fillings:
- Caramelized apples (recipe below)
- A mix of caramelized fruits like apples, pears, and mandarins
- Caramelized bananas or pineapple
- Peaches with candied ginger and cottage cheese
- Mango with passion fruit
Savory fillings:
- Sautéed mushrooms with garlic and thyme
- Spinach and feta cheese
- Caramelized onions with goat cheese
- Roasted butternut squash with sage and Parmesan
- Smoked salmon with cream cheese and dill
What to use to tie crepe purses
You can tie your crepe purses with a variety of attractive options: a long sprig of blanched chives, strips of fresh or candied orange or lemon peel, licorice laces, a vanilla pod cut in half, toothpicks decorated with small pieces of fruit at each end, kitchen string, raffia, or bamboo skewers. These add both charm and function to your presentation.
How to store and freeze
Store apple-filled crepes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To reheat, warm them gently in a low oven or microwave just until heated through, so they stay tender and flavorful.
Avoid freezing, as it may affect the crepe texture. While plain crepes freeze well, freezing crepe purses filled with fruit or creamy fillings may affect the crepes' texture and moisture.
If you want to freeze, freeze the crepes and filling separately, then assemble and warm just before serving for best results.
Love apple desserts? Try these next!
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PrintRecipe card
Apple Cinnamon Crepes Recipe (Beggar's Purses)
Folded up and filled with caramelized apples and cinnamon, these Beggar's purses (aka crepe purses) are the most elegant way to serve apple cinnamon crepes. Add this simple recipe to your menu to surprise your family and guests.
- Total Time: 1 hour (plus resting time)
- Yield: 9 1x
- Category: Crepes
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
For the crepe batter:
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ⅔ cup + 2 tablespoons (100 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup + ½ tablespoon (250 ml) milk
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange flower water (optional)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 0.5 oz. (15 g) butter
For the apple filling:
- 3 large apples (Golden or Granny Smith apples)
- ⅔ cup (150 g) sugar
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water
- 2.1 oz. (60 g) butter
- ⅓ cup + ½ tablespoon (85 ml) orange juice
- 1 pinch of ground cinnamon
* If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.
Instructions
- To make a crepe batter, sift flour with a flour sifter in a large bowl. Add eggs, salt, vanilla extract, and orange flower water and mix with a hand whisk. Add water and cold milk in small portions and mix well. Melt butter, pour into the mixture, and whisk. Let it stand for 2 hours at room temperature.
- Pour a ladle of the batter (about ¼ cup of batter) and tilt and rotate a crepe pan to distribute it and cover its bottom. When the crepe's edges become golden and come off the pan, turn the crepe over with a heatproof plastic spatula or a flexible turner. Let it brown on the second side. Continue with the remaining batter.
- To make the apple filling, peel apples and cut them into small cubes. Melt the sugar with water in a pan to make the caramel. Shake the pan and let it brown. Add butter and mix with a wooden spatula. Add apple cubes and orange juice, and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Cook over low-medium heat for 10 minutes.
- To assemble purses, top each crepe with one tablespoon of the caramelized apples. Gather the edges of the crepe towards the center while making folds and tie them with one or two toothpicks. Serve 1 or 2 per person.
Notes
- Rest the crepe batter for 2 hours. This helps the flour fully hydrate, making your crepes tender and easy to fold.
- Use a nonstick crepe for smooth, even cooking and easy flipping without tearing.
- Cook crepes over medium-low heat to avoid burning and get a nice golden color.
- Caramelize sugar slowly. Be patient with the caramel to develop a rich flavor without burning.
- Keep crepes warm. Stack cooked crepes between sheets of parchment paper and cover with a kitchen towel to stay soft and pliable while you finish.
- Keep crepes warm. Stack cooked crepes between sheets of parchment paper and cover with a kitchen towel to stay soft and pliable while you finish.
- Use Golden or Granny Smith apples since they hold their shape while cooking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 91 mg
- Fat: 8.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 34.3 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3.4 g
- Cholesterol: 57 mg
The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.
The recipe was originally published on February 10, 2018. It has been revised to include improved content and photos.
Veena Azmanov says
This is such an innovative idea. The name is unique and surprising too. Love the delicious combination.
Irina says
Thank you, Veena!
Anita says
What a creative name for the dessert. And it's a great way to use crepe skins, and I love you can change the filling to make all kind of variations. 🙂
Irina says
Please, enjoy the recipe, Anita. Thank you for visiting the recipe:)
Ashley says
The first time I had one of these was in Giverny in high school! I'm going to attempt to try this on my own!
Irina says
Here we go, Ashley. I am glad that I brought some good memories to you:)
Kelly Anthony says
I'm loving this crepe recipe. I've never seen the beggar’s purse before but I love the idea and think they would be so fun to serve at any gathering.
Irina says
Yes, Kelly, these crepe presentation is perfect for parties. Please, enjoy the recipe!
Katie says
This looks amazing! Can't wait to try it.
Irina says
Thank you, Katie!
Chris Collins says
Those caramelized apples spilling out is just incredible!!!
Irina says
Thank you, Chris!
Emily Liao says
I've never had anything like this until today - and oh man I have to say it was so good! The caramelized apples in this are really the cherry on top.
Irina says
Thank you so much for your feedback, Emily!
Krissy Allori says
Holy smokes! This is making my mouth water. How can you not love that delicate pastry filled with amazing sweet apples.
Irina says
Thank you, Krissy! Please, just make this dessert and enjoy it!
Sara Welch says
This was a really fun recipe to make and definitely great to enjoy eating! Even my picky eaters gobbled these up!
Irina says
Thanks for letting me know that your family enjoyed these crepes, Sara!
Sadia Malik says
I have never heard of the name, curious how this name was given. These crepes look delicious.
Irina says
The dessert got its name from a pouch-shaped form of the alms purse worn on the belt and containing the money. Beggar's purse dessert is called "aumônière" in French, which is translated "chaplain."
Kait says
What a pretty and creative way to serve crepes! These served with the caramelized apple filling sound absolutely amazing. I can't wait to try!
Irina says
You will love it, Kait! Guaranteed!
Noelle says
You had me at crepes, love all the flavors you added to this recipe!
Irina says
Thank you, Noelle! Please, enjoy the recipe.
Carrie Robinson says
This is such a great recipe idea! Like apple dumplings almost. 🙂
Irina says
Yes, this crepe presentation is very cute. Thank you, Carrie.
Jeannette says
I definitely need some purse saving recipes right now. Thanks for sharing such a wonderfully simple and afforable recipe that everyone will enjoy!
Irina says
IYou have made me smiling:) Please, enjoy the recipe, Jeannette!
Justine says
So good with all the apples I had picked last weekend.
Irina says
Please, make it and enjoy, Justine!
Krissy Allori says
Holy smokes these sound amazing. My mouth is watering just looking at the pictures. I'm going to save this recipe to try in the near future.
Irina says
You will love it, Krissy! Please, enjoy the dessert:)
Elaine says
The recipe I NEED to try! One of those recipes I haven't tried yet, and that is quite rare 🙂 Can't wait to try these crepes out!
Irina says
You will fall in love with this dessert, Elaine! Please, let me know how it went:)
Kushigalu says
Something new to me. Looks so good and love the flavors. Must try!
Irina says
Here we go! Please, enjoy the recipe, Kushigalu!
Lima Ekram says
I just tried this recipe - it was incredible - the whole family loved it!
Irina says
Thank you, Lima, for letting me know!
Claudia Lamascolo says
The family will love these crepes. What a great dessert it is!
Irina says
Claudia, thanks for stopping by. Please, enjoy the recipe.
Beth says
These look so yummy and tasty! So excited to give this a try! My family is going to love this!
Irina says
Oh, you will love these crepes, Beth! It is guaranteed. 🙂
Megan Lehr says
I've never heard of this before, but I love crepes! This has my mind spinning with possibilities for what to place inside!
Irina says
Megan, sweet or savory fillings are perfect for making these Beggar's purses. Please, enjoy the recipe.
Veena says
I love the recipe, and I love the name to it too. Cute and very innovative. The perfect dessert, unique and special for a party. Thanks.
Irina says
You are very welcome, Veena. Please, enjoy the recipe. 🙂