Danish Æbleskiver

After posting my Grandma Taylor's bread recipe, I started thinking about my other paternal great-grandmother, Grandma Adeline.  

Really, it's only natural.  

You see, the two of them were the best of childhood friends and remained close throughout the years.  I'm sure they were tickled pink when my grandparents began courting and eventually married.  Adeline's family came to the United States from Denmark.  Ever since I was a little girl, my family would make æbleskiver for breakfast on special occasions to honor this heritage.  Now that I have a family of my own, I happily continue on the tradition-- which has become a special treat for my kids.

Æbleskiver are basically pancakes, except that they are spherical and puffy-- kind of like a popover.  You bake them in a specialized cast iron pan, which is fairly easy to find.  Sometimes they are marketed under the very Americanized trademark "Puffy Pancake."  I've seen them regularly at Bed, Bath, and Beyond in addition to stores that specialize in cast iron ware, such as Dutch ovens.  It is also worth the investment to purchase two pans if you are going to be making æbleskiver for more than just a couple of people.  As you can see from the picture, a pan only makes seven puffs at a time.  And believe me, when you have a hungry crowd clamoring for more, seven at a time just doesn't fly.

You can serve æbleskiver just like American pancakes if you wish, with butter and maple syrup.  That's actually how my kids prefer them.  B and I like them with some homemade jam and a little bit of plain yogurt.  If you want to get authentically Scandinavian with this dish, a wonderful treat is lignonberry jam.  You can find it at IKEA and various online shops.

This recipe calls for buttermilk, but if you don't have any handy there is an easy substitution that works pretty well.  Simply add 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice plus regular milk to make up 1 cup and let stand ten minutes.  1 cup of this mixture will equal 1 cup of buttermilk.   

Danish Æbleskiver  

6 egg whites

6 egg yolks

2 cups buttermilk

2 cups flour (I use whole wheat)

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Oil or cooking spray for pan

Powdered sugar (optional)

1. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
2. Beat yolks until lemon-colored.  Mix in milk, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.  Fold beated egg whites gently to mixture.
3. Heat æbleskiver pan over medium heat.  Place small amount of oil or cooking spray in each cup of pan. Fill each cup about 2/3 full with batter.  Cook until batter bubbles up a bit and is set around edges.  Turn puffs with a toothpick or wooden skewer and cook until completely set.  (This will vary depending on your pan-- one of my pans takes a few minutes longer than the other, so you'll have to experiment with what works best for you.)  Roll finished æbleskiver in powdered sugar, if desired.

Yield: 75-80 puffs


Adapted from a recipe handed down from my Aunt Karen.