Æbleskiver, Ebelskiver, or Fluffy Pancake balls

No matter how you say it or spell it, æbleskivers pair perfectly with your morning coffee, or the cup of coffee you found on the bookcase 3 hours after you brewed it.

A few years ago I picked up a weird looking cast iron pan at a thrift store. It had 7 round indents and cost about $5. Sold. With a little research I found out the pan could be used to make little round Danish pancakes. The pan lived under my bed for about a year before my then boyfriend, now husband and I got drunk enough to pull out the pan and attempt to make ebelskivers. Honestly all I remember was that we didn’t burn the house down and the we stuffed them with red bean paste I had purchased in San Fransisco. Delicious but not exactly traditional. Flash forward almost 3 years and I finally attempted and successfully made legitimate ebelskivers. I stuffed mine with the traditional filling of apples but you can get creative. Hello nutella stuffed pancake balls? This recipe is definitely a bit involved because of the technique used to cook them. Have no fear though, this batter cooks up beautifully like a regular pancake or can even be poured into a waffle iron. I used half the batter for ebelskivers and the other half the next day for waffles! You can find an ebelskiver pan online for around $30 or maybe at your local thrift shop.

---

Yield: approximately 30 ebelskivers

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 1/2 Cups buttermilk
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly plus additional for cooking
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs, separated
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 Cup small diced green apple
• powdered sugar and lingonberry jam for serving

Method:

1. In a large bowl whisk together flour, soda, salt, and cardamom.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla, and egg yolks. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl whisk egg whites and sugar to medium peak.
4. Gently fold egg white meringue mixture into the batter until fully mixed.
5. Heat pan over medium heat. Brush each cavity lightly with melted butter.
6. Spoon two Tablespoons batter into pan and place a teaspoon chopped apples in the center.
7. Cook for two to three minutes and then using a chopstick or similar tool turn ebelskivers 90 degrees onto their sides and add another tablespoon of filling to the pan. This step definitely has a learning curve. As you practice it gets easier.
8. Cook for another two minutes and flip the ebelskivers upside-down in the pan so no uncooked batter is showing.
9. Cook for another minute or two until the batter is completely cooked and the ebelskivers are golden brown.
10. Repeat with remaining batter.
11. I placed cooked ebelskivers on a sheet pan in a warm oven while cooking the remaining batter.
12. Dust cooked ebelskivers with powdered sugar and serve with jam.