Some of the best food exploration happens when there’s chocolate involved.
In this video, my mother-in-law Adaya and I are making three naturally gluten-free and dairy-free recipes: buckwheat crêpes, homemade chocolate hazelnut butter (yes, think Nutella — but better), and chocolate-covered berries. All three recipes are adapted from Aran Goyoaga’s beautiful cookbook, Cannelle et Vanille: Nourishing, Gluten-Free Recipes for Every Meal and Mood.
Beyond being delicious, these recipes are genuinely useful tools for food exploration with babies and kids. Keep reading for the full recipes and age-by-age feeding tips below.
Watch the Video
The Recipes
Gluten-Free Buckwheat Crêpes
Adapted from Cannelle et Vanille by Aran Goyoaga
Ingredients:
- 2 cups filtered water
- 4 eggs
- 1¼ cups buckwheat flour
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Let the batter rest for 10–15 minutes. Cook in a lightly greased pan over medium heat, pouring a thin layer and swirling to coat. Cook until the edges lift, then flip briefly.
Note for babies: Blend the batter without the added sugar first and set aside a portion for baby before adding sugar to the rest.
Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
Adapted from Cannelle et Vanille by Aran Goyoaga
Ingredients:
- 2 cups roasted hazelnuts (sprouted roasted hazelnuts work beautifully here)
- 3 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt (fleur de sel is wonderful)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil, plus more as needed
Blend hazelnuts in a food processor until they form a smooth butter. Melt chocolate chips gently, then add to the processor along with vanilla, salt, maple syrup, and oil. Blend until silky and combined. Add more oil to reach your desired consistency.
Note for babies: Make the hazelnut butter first, before adding chocolate and maple syrup, to create a plain hazelnut butter for baby. Stir into oatmeal or another puree to introduce.
Chocolate-Covered Berries
Ingredients:
- 3 oz semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 container strawberries
- 1 container blackberries
Melt chocolate chips until smooth. Dip berries and place on parchment to set. That’s it — simple, beautiful, and genuinely fun to make with kids.
Feeding Therapy Tips by Age
This is where the recipes become more than just food — they become a tool.
Ages 9 months – 2 years
Crêpes are a wonderful texture for babies who are building chewing skills. Serve in strips or bite-sized pieces for babies 9 months and up. The thin, soft texture is easy to manage and offers a new sensory experience without being overwhelming.
To introduce hazelnuts safely, make the hazelnut butter without the chocolate and maple syrup and stir a small amount into oatmeal or another familiar puree. This is a gentle way to expose your baby to tree nuts in a form that’s easy to swallow.
Ages 2 years and up
Toddlers and older kids can be involved in the actual making — adding ingredients to the blender, watching the food processor turn hazelnuts into butter, or dipping berries in chocolate. Participation builds familiarity, and familiarity lowers the barrier to tasting.
If your child is hesitant about crêpes, try framing them as something they already love: “These are kind of like pancakes, just thinner.” That connection to a known food can be enough to get a first bite.
The chocolate dipping sauce and hazelnut butter are also great vehicles for introducing new fruits. Set out a few different fresh or dried fruits alongside the dipping sauce and let your child touch, explore, and dip at their own pace. Low pressure, lots of chocolate — it tends to work.
Products Used in This Video
- Chocolate chips: Guittard Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Fleur de Sel: Esprit Du Sel, 5.64 oz
- Maple Syrup: Tree Juice Pure Maple Syrup
- Cookbook: Cannelle et Vanille by Aran Goyoaga
A Note on the Cookbook
All three recipes in this video are adapted from Cannelle et Vanille: Nourishing, Gluten-Free Recipes for Every Meal and Mood by Aran Goyoaga. If you’re cooking gluten-free and want recipes that feel beautiful and nourishing rather than like a compromise, this book is worth adding to your kitchen.
