ebelskiver | Pinky's Pantry

Aebleskiver (pronounced ey-bluh-skee-wuh) are puffy little sphere-shaped Danish pancakes. The name literally means “apple slices” in Denmark where they were traditionally filled with pieces of apple or applesauce. Since the 1600’s, aebleskiver has historically been served in Denmark at Christmas time accompanied by glogg or mulled wine. Nowadays you can find them pretty much year round. They’re often made plain, then sprinkled with powdered sugar, and served with jam. You also find them filled with a variety of sweet or savory fillings like chocolate, peanut butter, cookie butter, fruit preserves, fresh fruit like blueberries or raspberries, cheese, bacon, or sausage.

They’re cooked over the stove in an aebleskiver pan which looks like a deep frying pan with several round wells in it. You can easily find cast iron aebleskiver pans on the market or non-stick cast aluminum ones like the one made by Nordicware (which is the kind I have). The trick to making aebleskiver is to be patient. Take your time turning the little pancakes one by one in quarter increments so you end up with a perfect little round ball. It takes some patience, but with practice you’ll have the hang of it in no time! Have fun!

AEBLESKIVER

[Makes about 30 aebleskiver]

2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
4 Tbsp. melted butter
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar

In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, buttermilk, and melted butter.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar, whisking until smooth.
Gently fold in beaten egg whites, taking care not to deflate.
Heat aebleskiver pan over medium heat until hot.
Generously brush each little well in aebleskiver pan with butter. You want a little pool of butter at the bottom.
Pour batter into each cup, filling to just below the top. They’ll puff up a little as they start cooking.
Cook till they start to get bubbly around the edges.
Carefully lift and turn a quarter turn using aebleskiver turners, bamboo skewers, chopsticks, knitting needles, or even a fork will do.
After a minute or so, lift and turn a quarter turn again.
Continue cooking, lifting and turning each ball a quarter turn, until completely done. You’ll want to turn the balls a total of 4 to 5 turns each.
After the last turn, let cook a couple of minutes, then keep rotating them in the wells to ensure they cook evenly and don’t burn.
Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Serve with jam or syrup on the side.