Bigger and better...
Today I had a revelation; I have loved poffertjes all my life but as of today it is official; the Dutch have been defeated in the making of these treats by the Danish… 
It’s sad but true. Well, ok in the defense of the Dutch nation; it is not really the same recipe and there are some noticeable differences between the two, so maybe I shouldn’t even be compairing them. You know what? Let’s not.. I might offend half the Dutch population in the process of proclaiming the Danish ones better so let’s not go there…lol… But seriously… these little darlings are sooooo good and I didn’t expect them to be so it was a delightful surprise when I was making them this afternoon. Being all alone in the house I could not share them with anyone unfortunately so I had to send Tom and text message saying that he missed something really really good and a promise that I will make them for him tomorrow. Yes, they are that good!
Look at that banana filling
How did we get to making these little gems? As you might remember if you read this blog more often Nurit of FamilyFriendlyFood and I had a ‘virtual cooking together’ session last month in which we made our national treat of Dutch poffertjes. You can read all about it here and here. We liked it so much that we have decided to try out more variations of the pancake/poffertje theme trying out various recipes around the world. This month we are going to be joined by Trissa from Trissalicious so I cannot wait to see what they have come up with! We initially had planned to make these earlier but due to all sorts of reason it got pushed out a bit further but here we are; I have made them!
So what does make these so much better then the Dutch ones? For one; they are somewhat bigger, so that gives you the opportunity to fill them with lots of good things. That also gives them a unique quality in my eyes above the regular poffertjes as I do think that the filling makes a big big difference. That plus the fluffy and airy texture of them. I think it is the beaten eggwhites that go into the batter that gives the Aebleskiver there airiness and the slight crunch of the outside. Combine that with fruity or chocolaty insides and you have real winner. I made only two batches since I was on my own. The first batch I baked with banana slices inside and the second one with a teaspoon of apple compote inside, but really you could fill it with just about anything you like; cherries, pineapple, jam, chocolate and fact I would not be surprised if they go really well with cheese inside of them too… Ooo, now that I am writing that down; I am sooo gonna try that next! Blue melty cheese on the inside… How good can it get?
I have to confess that I ate both of the portions and felt that I should still eat more of them. Which would not have been a good decision at this point. Good thing I didn’t plan on having anything special for dinner as I am kind of full after eating these, so I think I will just settle for some leftover macaroni from yesterday if I end up feeling like eating again…
And now; the moment you have all been waiting for; the recipe…. I got the recipe from Nurit actually. This was the recipe that was attached to the pan when she bought it. You have to know that in order to make these you need a special pan, which I took a photo of a little further down below. It typically has 7 large dents in it to put the batter in and is made of castiron. At least mine is. Keep in mind also that mine is weird in the sense that you cannot use it on the stove without putting something underneath. Not sure why that is really but I used a baking tray rack to put on top of the stove so I could put the pan on it. It did mean that it got heated slightly uneven so I had to keep that in mind while baking them but other then that; it all went fine. I could even get them out of the pan quite easily. Just make sure you use enough butter here… Not a low calorie treat for sure!
Aebleskiver pan with batter inside; see the rack I placed it on?
Check out Nurit’s post here and Trissa’s post here
| Aebleskiver |
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, separated
- 250 ml milk (1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons of butter, melted, plus more for cooking
- For filling use; jam, bananas, chocolate, apple, apple sauce, pineapple, blueberries, raspberries… o well, anything…
- Maple syrup and/or powdered sugar for serving
- In a big bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
- In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then add the milk and the melted butter.
- Whisk the yolk mixture into the flour mixture until the batter is well combined. In a third bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter in 2-3 additions.
- Put 1/4 teaspoon butter in each well of the pancake pan. Place over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to sizzle. Using a pastry/silicon brush, coat surface of wells entirely with the butter. Pour 1 tbsp batter into each well, then add some of the filling in the center of each pancake and top with another 1 tablespoon of batter. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown, crispy, and slightly pulls away around the edge, 3 to 5 minutes. Using 2 wooden skwers, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy on the other side, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve always wanted to make these and shall one of these days. They look lovely. Are aebleskivers filled, traditionally?
In my part of India, we have a traditional sweet made like this called Neyappam in a similar pan.
Thank you Simone for introducing me to the wonderful world of making pancakes! I had a great time this month and was so embarrassed and grateful for your guidance! What a lovely idea to use bananas in them! Now I can’t wait to see Nurit’s and I can’t wait for next month’s pancake challenge! PS. – that first picture – gorgeous!
Saturday afternoon, cup of coffee, some poffertjies……..life’s good!!!
Delicious! The Dutch and the Danish both understand delightful treats.
Thank you for sharing this “Aebleskiver”. I already bookmarked it, remember my post Kuih Bahlu? I can make use of that mould.
Not only do these little gems look beautiful they look delicious too…yum!
That first picture with the syrup… it made my mouth water. Holy moly. You have good restraint, I would have eaten the whole batch
Ohhh.. they are sooo cute!!! I am not a big fan of pancakes but yours are making me crave!!!
I heard of these dutch pancakes for the first time only recently. I am determined to make them at some point. Lovely lovely photos.
I loved those more than the poffertjes too but I thnk we shouldn’t give up. maybe try another recipe for poffertjes?
Also, yes, definitely, a savory filling the ebelskiver is a great idea. We can do that too
I think we should definitely try another recipe for the poffertjes as I think I did something seriously wrong with the batter. It just looked way too thick now that I think back about it…
MMMMMM,…these look so appetizing, Simone!! Georgous & ooh so tasty!! I have never made them before,..thanks!
Haha, that pancake project sounds like fun! I never knew there were so many kinds of pancakes! This looks wonderful, I can only imagine the lovely texture! And yes, please try a cheesy version very, very soon!
I wonder if I can find a special pancake pan like this in Montreal…
I have a weakness for the Dutch (no offense to the Danes) and I will side with you, they are tastier made in the Netherlands. Queen Beatrix would be proud.
Simone,
I was lucky to have inherited an Aebleskiver pan from a very dear neighbor. Every time I make these tasty pancakes, I think of her kindness.
Oh, Simone, these look wonderful! I love them and the way you’ve filled them. I can imagine how they’d taste with a little syrup on them, maybe with some crisp bacon.
Thanks for this recipe!
Oh these are lovely. They look more like dessert than breakfast, and I’m totally on board with that.
I haven’t tried either version so I am not a good judge but Ilike the idea of cheese filled ones. Yummy…
Ok, I should not have looked at this before breakfast. I’m starving now! These look incredible.
I always wanted this pan from Williams Sonoma and after reading this post, I am going out to get it!
Great post!!! I am so glad that you enjoyed them!
I need to buy one of these pans someday. Looks and sounds absolutely gorgeous and I could eat and eat and eat these cuties.
I was in Solvang (California) a couple months ago and I could not leave before trying aebelskiver. They are wonderful!!
Comfort food at its best, Simone:)
I have made these but it was by chance because I was looking for a hong kong pancake pan and I found this pan. I used to get hong kong pancakes in the New York Chinatown as a kid. Instead of making a pancake batter, I actually used a crepe batter. The pancakes I remember was very similar but I haven’t gotten the recipe just right yet.
the very next kitchen item i plan to purchase is a pan for these beauties. of course, i’ve been saying that for over a year now…
nice work, and stunning pictures!
They look adorable! I know I would love them…I think I would love both the Dutch and Danish versions
Could you overnight these so I could have them for breakfast please?
These look amazing!! I tried your poffertjes and another recipe without yeast. We liked yours, but my family and I preferred the one without yeast, I have it posted on my blog if you’d like to try it.
It was really intresting seeing you make this traditional danish dish! I have never seen them with banana as the only “stuffing” traditionally used is appeles. I must confess I don’t make them myself – i just buy them in stores. The ones you buy are not stuffed at all but sometimes there is a bit of lemon in them to add to the taste. I’m not sure, but I think most danes makes them without stuffing, perhaps it was more something that was done in the past?
The name æbleskiver actually translate to apple slices. In Denmark they are served with jam and not syrup, but I could imagine it would be good, since syrup is what we serve with our pancakes too.
If you try eating them with jam I would recomend strawberry jam.
Oh and they are actually most often served at christmas time, I guess it’s the tradition.
Thanks for all that additional information! Great to hear!
I use a gem iron with the circular holes. It’s heaps cheaper than the proper pan and does heat evenly on the stove.
I wouldnt call them pancakes xD
Their more a kind of Christmas snack
And nicely made Æbleskiver!
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