We love these Danish Aebleskivers! They are a crisp, golden brown on the outside and light and fluffy.on the inside. We have been enjoying this Aebleskiver Recipe for many years as a family on special occasions or lazy weekend breakfast! Today I am sharing how easy they are to make with my step-by-step instructions, so you can enjoy them in your home too!
DANISH PANCAKES
My mother-in-law was born in Poland which is now part of Germany and she grew up eating these delicious Danish pancake balls also known as a Danish Aebleskiver. She doesn’t have a danish heritage but ate them often in her area and has passed on her original recipe to me. My kids and husband love when we get to eat them! They have become part of our family’s favorite breakfast traditions to enjoy together on weekends or a lazy holiday morning.
WHAT ARE AEBLESKIVERS?
The Aebleskiver is a Danish dessert of sweet, puffy pancake balls cooked in an aebleskiver pan. Usually served hot with syrup, honey, jam, or powdered sugar, they are crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.
Sometimes these are mistakenly called Danish pancakes, Swedish pancakes, Poffertjes, Dutch pancakes, German pancakes, pancake balls or Dutch mini pancakes.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AEBLESKIVERS AND EBELSKIVER?
They are essentially the same thing. Whether you refer to them as aebleskiver or ebelskiver (same pronunciation, different spelling), the actual word in Danish is Æbleskiver and it means “apple slices” because traditionally these were made by putting a small slice of apple in the center while cooking them.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AEBELSKIVERS AND POFFERTJES?
What’s the difference between poffertjes and aebleskiver? Poffertjes (or Dutch pancakes) are usually made with yeast in the batter. Aebleskiver (or Danish pancakes) use baking powder. Also, they are prepared in different pans.
PANCAKE BALLS
If you have a little bit of time and want to make a fun and yummy breakfast (or dinner recipe) try your hand at making these Chocolate Chip Pancake Poppers. Admittedly, these take a little bit of time and effort, they are well worth it.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH AEBLESKIVERS
We like to serve these pancakes with powdered sugar or your favorite syrup! The hardest part of this recipe is trying to keep up with making them when they get gobbled up so quickly! Here are some of our favorite ways to eat them.
- syrup
- buttermilk syrup
- melted butter
- cinnamon and sugar
- freezer raspberry jam
- sliced strawberries
- jams and jellies
- powdered sugar
- berries
- whipping cream
- applesauce
- small pieces of apple
- honey
WHAT IS AN AEBLESKIVER PAN?
There are special pans that you will need to cook these into their unique and recognizable round pancake ball shape. All pans are not created equally. Be sure to buy a high quality pan that is made out of cast iron instead of the cheaper options that are out there.
WHERE TO BUY AN AEBLESKIVER PAN
You can pick up a pan at your local kitchen stores or on amazon.
Sometimes they are also called Aebleskiver Pancake Pastry Pan. This is the cast-iron aebleskiver pan we have and we love it. You can also use a Cake Pop Maker if you have one but they don’t turn out as well.
HOW TO USE AN AEBLESKIVER PAN
Heat an Aebleskiver pan over medium heat on your stove burner, brush each cup with melted butter. Using a 1/4 cup measure, Pour about 2 tablespoons of batter into each cup, and, when bubbly around the edges, turn with a long wooden skewer or toothpick, this takes less than 2 minutes. Move them slightly so that the batter rolls out of the middle of the cooked section and can now come in contact with the hot pan.
Many people use a wooden skewer or toothpick to rotate the pancake dough balls, but you can also use a sterilized knitting needle, a crochet hook (like my mother-in-law), but I find the easiest way is to use a chopstick or a fork.
Continue cooking and moving around the dough ball so that it can cook on all sides until you eventually have a little round ball that is cooked all the way through and the other side is golden. This will keep them light and fluffy without any uncooked dough on the inside.
HOW TO CLEAN CAST IRON PAN
- After you’ve used your cast iron pan, use a sponge to scrub it with water. But don’t let it soak in water, as this can cause rusting.
- If it still needs a bit more attention, add some kosher salt to the pan and scrub with a damp sponge. The salt acts an abrasive cleaner without disturbing the seasoning. I
- Once the skillet is cleaned to your satisfaction, rinse it well and then set it on the stove over medium heat for a few minutes to dry.
- I like to rub just a little bit more oil on my pan when it is dry with a paper towel. Be sure to wipe away any excess oil so that the pan is dry with a little sheen from the oil and then store it back in my cupboard.
HOW TO SEASON YOUR AEBLESKIVERS PAN
Season your cast iron æbleskiver pan before using by coating with vegetable oil (peanut, grapeseed or canola) over the inside surface up to the rim. Place oiled pan upside down on baking sheet and bake oiled pan in the oven for approximately one hour at 350°F/175°C. Remove from oven and let cool. Wipe off excess oil.
You can use olive oil to season cast iron, but you need to choose a high quality extra virgin olive oil, which should have a smoke point close to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Other oils that are good for seasoning your cast iron pans are grapeseed oil and sunflower oil.
SUPPLIES FOR MAKING AEBLESKIVERS
- Electric Griddle
- cast-iron aebleskiver pan
- Squeeze Bottles
- toothpick, wood skewer or fork
- Spatula
- Saucepan
- Wooden Utensils
- whipped cream dispenser
- Squeeze Bottles (large)
- honey pot
- whisk
- hot pads
- cooking spray
- paper towels
- kitchen towels
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- syrup bottle dispenser
- powdered sugar spoon
- mixing bowls
INGREDIENTS IN AEBLESKIVERS
- all-purpose flour
- sugar
- ground cinnamon
- baking powder
- salt
- eggs
- buttermilk or milk
- butter, melted
- vanilla extract
- chocolate chips, optional and not original to the recipe
HOW TO MAKE AEBLESKIVERS
-
Heat pan on low heat after applying a thin coat of oil generously on the pan. You may need to spray it again as you continue to go through all of the batter.
-
Combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
-
Mix together wet ingredients in a separate bowl and then combine them by beating them into the dry mixture until smooth.
-
Fold in chocolate chips if you are going to be using them.
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Spray pan with cooking spray.
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Pour or spoon batter into fry pan so that the batter is not quite full in the half circle of the pan.
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When the batter in the skillet cups is bubbly use a crochet hook, fork or a toothpick to turn the pancake slightly. The batter will roll out of the middle and cook on the edge of the circle in the pan as it comes in contact with the surface. Turn carefully to continue cooking.
-
Continue to turn the pancakes with a wooden skewer or fork so that the batter rolls out of the middle of the pancake popper and makes a round pancake. This takes patience and you may need to add a little extra batter in the middle of the pancake as it cooks.
-
Cook until they are golden brown in appearance and cooked all the way through.
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Serve with powdered sugar or your favorite syrup!
DANISH AEBELSKIVER RECIPE
CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKES
Looking for a fun and delicious Chocolate Chip Pancake recipe? Try these Chocolate Chip Pancake Poppers Recipe! Great for dinner or breakfast!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 Tbs sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbs baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 4 Tbs butter melted
- 3/4 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
-
Heat pan on low heat.
-
Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
-
Mix together wet ingredients and beat into dry mixture until smooth.
-
Fold in chocolate chips.
-
Spray pan with cooking spray.
-
Pour or spoon batter into fry pan so that the batter is not quite full in the half circle of the pan.
-
When the batter in the skillet cups is bubbly use a crochet hook, fork or a toothpick to turn the pancake slightly.
-
Continue to turn the pancakes so that the batter rolls out of the middle of the pancake popper and makes a round pancake. This takes patience and you may need to add a little extra batter in the middle of the pancake as it cooks.
-
Serve with powdered sugar or your favorite syrup!
TIPS FOR MAKING FLUFFY AEBLESKIVERS
- Use fresh ingredients and fresh baking soda.
- Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and gently fold in. If you don’t beat them, they are just heavy pancake balls.
- Heat æbleskiver pan on medium heat and liberally brush with butter/oil mixture.
- You’ll need a cast-iron æbleskiver pan to make these. The stainless steel pans just don’t work as well.
- Beating the egg whites is until stiff is very important.
- Be sure to use baking powder and not baking soda.
- Pour in mix to each hole, and let cook until brown before slightly starting to rotate and turn them. This allows the center to remain light and fluffy.
MORE BREAKFAST RECIPES
If you love Breakfast Recipes, you might want to try our other favorites!
- Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes
- Easy Breakfast Casserole Recipe
- Overnight Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Casserole
- Baked Oatmeal
- Chocolate Chip Pancake Poppers
- Oven German Pancakes
- Light and Fluffy Whole Wheat Pancakes Recipe
- Peppermint Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Mint Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Candy Cane Pancakes
- Homemade Pancake Mix
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Amelia says
Is that a dental pick you use? Or is that a crazy crochet hook I’ve never seen? I’ve always used metal chopsticks and I’m really curious if that hook thing makes it easier.
Amy says
It is actually a hook for pulling out vinyl lettering :) I wash it in my dishwasher and use it only in the kitchen now! You can find them on cricut.com. Makes it so easy!
Rachel E says
If you make these in a cake pop maker would you still need to do the rearranging you mention?? I am thinking it could be skipped which is great for me as I have one and the less work is great!!
The Idea Room Assistant says
I would not think so just because the cake pop maker has heating from all around. Hope this helps. Thanks.
I made these this morning for my 3-year-old and 1-year-old and they were a hit! I bought the wooden Aebelskiver turning tools and they were so helpful. I’d never heard of these before – thanks for sharing!!
Katherine- Yay! So happy your family loved them! Thanks for following along!
In Holland these are called poffeges the pan indents are smaller then this that’s shown. They are served with butter pats on top and sprinkled with icing sugar. They are so good if you are ever in Holland don’t pass these up or the French fries.
Carroll- Thank you for letting me know about the name! They are a favorite in my family. Hope I can make it to Holland one day!