This fall I met Chad and his partners at the Mill City Farmer’s Market in Minneapolis. My co-author and I did a bread presentation from our book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. When I came off the stage, there was Chad and these funny round pans, which were filled with little cakey spheres. I’m not sure what pastry rock I have been living under, but this site was completely foreign to me. I had to run off to do a wedding cake that day so I couldn’t stay to see Chad’s explanation or try one of these donut/dumpling/cake/crepe like creations. The following week I went back to find him and his spheres and found out they were called aebleskivers. Here’s what I learned:
They are a traditional Danish treat. The recipe they serve at Aunt Else’s has been in the family for over 100 years. They fry them in cast iron pans made just for this purpose. (I must say I’m in love with this pan and WILL find additional uses for it!) The perfectly patinaed pans they use at the Farmer’s Market have been passed down in the Andersen & Henriksen family for generations. They were given to the current owners by none other than Aunt Else, along with the family recipe. They won’t share the secret recipe, but they do sell an organic whole wheat Aebleskiver mix and the pan, so you can make your own! Chad and his partners, after I spent the better part of a morning watching them in action at the market, they agreed to give me a pan and some of their mix to try out. My kids and I loved them so much that I want to share it with you!
They are so simple to make, even my 7 year old son was able to master the Aebleskiver, with lots of stove top supervision! Just follow the instructions on the bag for mixing the batter, then
heat the pan over medium-low heat. Drop a 1/2 teaspoon of neutral flavored oil in each of the wells.
Fill each well about 3/4 of the way full with the batter.
Let them cook until they start to bubble just a little, or until you see them turning golden on the edge.
With a chop stick or a skewer, turn the Aebleskiver by pushing down along the side of the well and scooping the batter up slightly. Turn it 1/4 and let it cook again. If the Aeblskiver is ready to turn this will be quite easy. If you have to fight it to turn than give it another few seconds to cook. Like anything, it may take a couple of skivers to get comfortable. Just keep in mind that my 7 year old can do it, no problem! 😉
After you have turned them all, then start back at the first one and give them another 1/4 turn. It is traditional to put a slice of apple in the center at this point. Aebleskiver means “apple slice,” but you can put anything you like in there. We’ve tried ham and cheese, chocolate, pears, cherry jam, sausage, bacon, bananas. Go crazy!
Repeat until they are completely cooked. You can poke one with a skewer to make sure they are all the way done through. Pick them up with a pair of tongs and repeat!
My friend Sue Zelickson, the Minneapolis Food Maven, was at the market and she enjoyed Aunt Else’s Aebleskivers with me! They serve them dusted in powdered sugar with a few different flavored syrups or preserves.
Several people have asked me what products they should put on their Christmas wish lists this holiday, here are my ultimate must haves in your kitchen to bake breads and pastries! And my camera equipment, for those of you that can’t bake without taking pictures of your food. It happens to the best of us! Am I missing anything??? What is your favorite piece of equipment?
Breads:
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day – But you knew I’d say that! 😉
Baking Stone
Pizza Peel
Oxo Good Grips Pastry Scraper
Taylor Oven Thermometer
Round Storage Container 6 Quart Clear
Escali Measuring Scale
Pastry:
KitchenAid 5-Quart Stand Mixers
Spatula Set – different sizes for different jobs
Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat
Microplane Grater/Zester
Wüsthof Le Cordon Bleu 10-Inch Serrated Super Slicer
Piping Bag – Featherweight – 18″
Pastry Tip Set
PASTRY BRUSH SET
8 by 3-Inch Round Cake Pan
Marble Rolling Pin I like the weight of this pin and that the marble stays cool
The Simple Art of Perfect Baking
Baking with Julia Savor the Joys of Baking with America’s Best Bakers
Cookwise and BakeWise:– food science made fun!I love cookwise and have just started reading bakewise. I’m loving the food science more than the recipes.
On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen
Photography:
Canon Digital Rebel XSi Camera with 18-55mm Lens (Black)
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens
Happy Holidays and I hope you get everything on your wish list!
***Here is a nice piece that Rick Nelson did recently on my Granny’s Brown-Butter Shortbread Cookies for the Star Tribune Website. He used a picture of me from 8 years ago when I was pregnant with my youngest son, the Aebleskiver maker I mentioned above! 😉
I’ve seen pics of the pan and done aebelskivers but never any pics of how they were cooked.
Hmmm – mini yorkshire puddings? Wonder how those would do?
My daughter grew up eating these delights everytime the local Danish Hall would have a celebration-which thankfully was several times a year. She is a newlywed now and has mentioned a couple of times she wishes she could find the pan to recreate these…as neither of us live in that small town anymore. Thanks for the pictures and reminder,,,
wow – i just noticed that there is an entire twitter thread about the takoyaki – so no big discovery but still, between that and the pancakes, i am really excited about the pan…
i have been dying for one of these pans – the aebelskivers look delicious and i believe there is a similar, savory, japanese dish that i bet could be made in the same pan
those aebleskivers look amazing! the cooking looks almost as much fun as eating them. i wonder if nutella would go well with them.
Ok, I really want an aebelskiver pan now. Those look so neat. I love how the icing sugar is sprinkling down like snow in your photo!
They’re amazingly cute!
Wow, they look so scrumptious. I can’t wait to try some. Count me in.
Ooo ooo ooo, count me in!
I love these! My father’s side of the family is Danish and they have all been making aebleskivers for generations. We serve them with jam, syrup, powdered sugar, and brown sugar. Everone just dips them in whatever they like. Thanks for the fun post!
We ate Aebleskivers for the first time in Solvang, CA. Its a small Danish town and there was a restaurant that makes this traditional Danish treat. They serve it dusted with powdered sugar and an amazing raspberry sauce to dip in. My husband called them Danish “Gulab Jamuns”!! (Gulab Jamuns are a traditional Indian sweet:-) Would love to make these one day!!
Your book is on my Christmas list – it’s the only thing I really really want this year. Well, besides the super cool aebleskiver pan. Love the blog!
I’m Danish and I’ve never made them 🙁 I do remember my grandmother making them and I would love to try. Yours look wonderful!
I just tried making a wreath bread yesterday 🙂
They look soooo tasty!
those look incredible … and that’s a cool pan … I love your gift list!!
Hi everyone!
I forgot to mention in the post that Aunt Else’s sells the pans as well as the mix!
I do hope that each and everyone of you wins, but if not, you can order them!
Thanks!
Zoë
I bought an Aebleskiver pan for myself from William Sonoma with a GC. It came with a simple recipe. The only problem is I can eat SO many batches of those little yummy guys.
yummy, those look so wonderful. let us know what other uses you think of for the pan!
i have always wanted one of those!!! i wouldn’t even begin to know where to find one… so i would be sooo happy to win! thanks for sharing :O)
Target had a Pancakeball maker on sale the other day and I was thinking that I could use that for these, would much rather have the real thing though.
Thanks everyone for the great notes!
I can’t believe I forgot to list a tripod, immersion blender and chef knife! There are so many things I find indispensable for my kitchen! The list could go on and on and on!
I’m so pleased that so many of you are using Artisan Bread in Five!
Happy Baking!
Zoë
I have eyed these pans at stores, but this post convinced me this is delicious!!! If I don’t win the pan from your contest, I think I’m going to have to go out and get one. Thanks for the post! 🙂
They look so cute, and so perfectly round!
Thanks for the opportunity to win this fabulous giveaway.
Sorry for the typo, I meant to say, “You don’t have an immersion blender LISTED…”
Oh my goodness! Those look terrific! Enter me, please.
Right now what I love in my kitchen is my glass oil jar (the one you use for olive oil) which I use to hold sugar syrup for my iced tea (yes, even in Dec.) I saw this at Butter Bakery off of Lyndale and just thought it was brilliant. Besides your book, I’m in love with the “New Food Lover’s Tiptionary” which I just discovered recently and am giving as gifts to good friends.
You don’t have an immersion blender mixed, but then I do only use mine for soups, etc. not for pastry stuff. Unless you have a tip…?
Happy Holidays!