Festive Crêpes with Cranberry-Orange Sauce – An Elegant Holiday Dessert

These festive cranberry orange crepes are a bright, elegant holiday dessert inspired by the classic Crêpes Suzette – but with a seasonal twist. A luscious cranberry-orange sauce, boozy and beautifully glossy, turns simple crêpes into a show-stopping treat perfect for Christmas brunches, cozy winter evenings, or festive entertaining.

Hello, folks – I hope you all are doing well!

Depending on when you are reading this post – I hope you all have a wonderful holiday break or I hope you had an amazing holiday season!

Yes, that’s right. As the year is coming to an end, I decided to share my last recipe for the season, so I have more time to enjoy the time. By the way, this was the last recipe before my camera broke (it is still being fixed). Literally. I took a few shots with Daisy, and a few seconds later the shatter stopped working. Perhaps, the camera was overwhelmed by Daisy’s beauty haha! (I mean, she is extra gorgeous and bossy in these pictures, isn’t she?!)

Anyway, I think these festive boozy cranberry orange crepes are a lovely way to wrap the holiday season up. And for you – to make them for your holiday celebrations. They are that good, I promise.

Why You’ll Love These Festive Cranberry Orange Crepes

• Festive and vibrant: The cranberry-orange sauce adds a jewel-toned brightness that feels perfect for holiday gatherings.
• Boozy elegance: A generous splash of liqueur gives these crêpes the refined flair of classic Crêpes Suzette, but with a seasonal twist.
• Simple yet impressive: Easy to prepare yet stunning on the table – ideal for entertaining without stress.
• Versatile: Lovely for dessert, holiday brunch, or a special Christmas-morning breakfast.
• Beautifully balanced flavours: Sweet citrus, tart cranberries, and soft buttery crêpes come together perfectly.

Festive Crepes with Cranberry Orange Sauce

If you are familiar with the famous Crêpes Suzette, the idea is pretty much based on this classic sauce. It is a luscious, buttery, and ultimately rich sauce. The sauce for Crêpes Suzette is made of caramelized sugar and butter, orange (or tangerine) juice, zest, and Grand Marnier, triple sec or similar orange-infused liqueur. Here I have elevated the idea and used a combination of orange and cranberries. These flavours scream: “Holidays”!

Certainly, this recipe requires some time, but you can still enjoy it during the holidays by making its elements in advance. You can absolutely make crepes up to 3 days in advance – they will stay fresh in the refrigerator. Furthermore, you can make the sauce a few days ahead. So, on the day of serving, you will need less than 15 minutes to preheat the sauce and heat the folded crepes in it for a few minutes, until warmed through. And voila – you can enjoy an impressive recipe without spending too much of your time during the holiday.

More Dessert Crêpe Recipes

Looking for more holiday crêpe ideas, just like these festive boozy cranberry orange crepes? Please make sure to check this list.

• Crêpes with Brandy Pear Sauce
• Crêpes Suzette (Crepes with Orange Liqueur Sauce)
• Gingerbread Crêpes
• Crêpes with Cranberry Wine Sauce
• Christmas Crepes with Cranberry Sauce

Savoury Crêpe Recipes

Looking for a savory holiday recipe? Here we go:

• Crêpes with leftover Turkey, Chestnuts and Cranberries
• Crêpes with Butternut Squash, Ham and Chestnuts
• Christmas Buckwheat Crêpes

I hope you like these Festive Cranberry Orange Crepes, and you will give them a try. If you make this recipe, let me know in this post or send me an Instagram message or share your photos by adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.

Cheers!

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Festive Crêpes with Cranberry-Orange Sauce – An Elegant Holiday Dessert

Recipe by Ben | Havocinthekitchen

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Christmas, Boozy Desserts and Treats, Festive Christmas Desserts, Sweet and Savoury CrepesCuisine: French-inspired, Author’s Recipes

ServingsC

4-6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Chilling time (crepes)

30-60

minutes

Elegant festive cranberry orange crêpes inspired by Crêpes Suzette, with a boozy cranberry-orange sauce perfect for holidays.

This yields about 10-12 crepes, I would suggest 2-3 crepes per person.

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• Crêpes:

• 1 cup (120 gr.) all-purpose flour

• 2/3 cup (160 ml.) lukewarm water

• 1 cup (240 ml.) whole milk

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tbsp. butter (30 gr.), melted plus more for greasing

• a good pinch (~1/8 tsp.) of salt

• 1/2 tsp. (2.5 gr.) granulated sugar

• Cranberry Orange Sauce:

• 1/2 cup (113 gr.) unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup (120 ml.) fresh orange juice – two medium oranges

• 1 and 1/2 tbsp. grated orange zest

• 2/3 cup (about 185 gr.) cranberry sauce (I used homemade Cointreau Cranberry Sauce)

• 4 tbsp. (about 45 gr.) light brown sugar

• a small pinch of salt

• 1/2 to 2/3 cup (120 – 160 ml.) of orange liqueur such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier

• For Assembling:

• fresh cranberries, orange zest, sprigs of rosemary, dehydrated oranges

Directions

• Crêpes:
• To make the batter, sift the flour and add the sugar and salt. Gradually add the milk and lukewarm water, constantly whisking with a whisk, until homogeneous. Stir in the eggs and melted butter and whisk well.
• Let the batter stand at least 30 minutes (preferably 1 hour or longer) in the fridge. Once chilled, the batter will thicken up a bit so you might need to adjust by adding a little of water or milk.
• Pro tip: the skillet should be hot enough. The first crepe is a test one; you can adjust the batter consistency (by adding more water or flour) as well as the heat.
• Slightly grease the skillet and add enough batter to thinly coat the base and tilt the pan to create an even thickness. When the temperature is high enough, it should take a minute to get the edges crisp, lacy, and browned.
• Remove from the skillet. Gently fold into quarters and place on a tray or plate. Repeat with the remaining batter.
• Cranberry Orange Sauce:
• In a meantime, in a large skillet, bring the orange sauce, orange zest, orange juice, butter, salt, and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, allowing to thicken a bit.
• Stir in orange liqueur (start with about 100 ml.). Simmer, stirring occasionally, until syrupy, about 10-12 minutes. Then add the remaining triple sec (20 to 60 ml.) – or even a bit extra. Keep the sauce simmer for a few minutes.
• Reduce the heat enough to just keep the sauce warm.
• Assembling:
• Once cooked, add all of the folded crepes to orange sauce. Cook over medium-low heat, undisturbed, until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Try (be careful – it is super hot!) and add a few splashes (yes, more!) of orange liqueur more, if desired.
• Garnish as desired and serve immediately, spooning additional sauce over crepes. Enjoy!
• Refrigerate any leftover crepes in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days. To reheat, gently rewarm crepes in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat for a few minutes; you may also want to add a splash of orange juice or liqueur.