Megan and Izzy are two of Bashful’s best friends from the city we used to live in before we moved. The girls are here on a visit and will be spending the weekend. It’s always nice when they come to visit. They’re such sweet girls and the three friends have such a blast whenever they’re together. It’s cool how the friendship between the girls has never faded, even though we moved so far away.
Anyway, I wanted to make something fun for breakfast so decided to make Aebleskiver. Aebleskiver (pronounced ey-bluh-skee-wuh) are light and puffy Danish pancakes shaped like little balls. They’re most commonly served around Christmas time in Denmark. They can be a little tricky to cook – turning them takes practice – and you’ll need a special pan to make them. Aebleskiver pans have little round wells in them and were traditionally made from cast iron, though nowadays they sell really good non-stick ones. Danish cooks use long knitting needles to turn their aebleskivers in little quarter turns while they’re cooking. You can use wooden skewers or a fork, though I would rather turn them with a teaspoon than a fork because it’s easy to puncture the little spheres.
When I make filled aebleskivers, I break from the traditional method of cooking them. Instead of turning each ball a little at a time, I cook one side, flip them over, then cook the other side. It’s much simpler.
Aebleskivers can be stuffed with any kind of filling you like. You can fill them with jam, peanut butter, fruit, chocolate, sausage, cheese, pretty much anything you can think of. I’ve filled them with leftover Christmas cranberry sauce. I’ve used canned apple pie and cherry pie filling. I’ve even done pumpkin butter served with cream cheese frosting on the side. This recipe is filled with Nutella. Now what could be better than that? Yum!
NUTELLA FILLED AEBLESKIVER
- 2 eggs, separated
- 2 cups buttermilk
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 jar nutella
- extra butter for greasing pan
- Beat egg whites in a bowl until stiff but not dry, then set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together egg yolks, buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until smooth.
- Gently fold in beaten egg whites.
- Heat an aebleskiver pan over medium heat and brush each depression with butter.
- Pour about 1 tablespoon batter into each of the wells and let cook for about a minute or two.
- Spoon 1/2 teaspoon filling into the center of each aebleskiver.
- Top with another tablespoon of batter, making sure to completely cover the filling.
- When edges are starting to look cooked, quickly flip them over using 2 bamboo skewers or 2 teaspoons.
- Cook the other side.
- Remove from pan and transfer to a serving platter.
- If making sweet Aebleskivers, you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.
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