Æbleskiver are a beloved Danish Christmas classic, and the little round pancake balls are a popular treat throughout the holiday season. In Denmark, you can buy them frozen at the grocery store, but nothing compares to homemade æbleskiver served straight from the pan with a dusting of powdered sugar, a spoonful of strawberry jam, and a glass of gløgg (Danish mulled wine with raisins and almonds).
Throughout December, it is common to invite friends and family over for æbleskiver and gløgg on cozy weekend afternoons. While they are sometimes described as a dessert, æbleskiver are more of a festive treat, something you enjoy socially rather than after a meal, and almost never without gløgg.
My grandma’s version is made with fresh yeast and buttermilk, which gives them a light texture and a subtle tang. They are less sweet than many modern recipes, with a slightly more grown up flavor that I really like. This recipe makes about 28 æbleskiver, enough for four people, unless you have a table full of æbleskive monsters like me who can easily eat ten or more each.
Recipe notes
You fry æbleskiver in lard or oil, never in butter. The reason is simple: æbleskiver are cooked at a fairly high temperature, and butter would burn.
To make æbleskiver, you need a special pan with seven round wells, usually made from cast iron. That is where you pour the batter.
If you do not have fresh yeast, you can use active dry yeast instead. Just follow the directions on the package when substituting.
In Denmark, we use knitting needles to turn the æbleskiver and to check when they are done. You could use a fork, but knitting needles work particularly well. When the outside is crisp and no batter sticks to the needle when you test it, the æbleskive is ready.
In the video below, you can see how my mom, also known as Mummi P, makes æbleskiver. There is a shorter version of the video further down in this post.
If you want to make proper Danish æbleskiver, you’ll need the right pan for the job. This cast iron æbleskive pan is perfect for getting those little pancake balls golden and crisp on the outside, while keeping them soft and fluffy inside. Whether you’re going traditional with powdered sugar and jam or putting your own spin on it, this pan would be a great choice.
Recipe: Æbleskiver – Danish Pancake Balls
28
æbleskiverDuring the Christmas month, you would typically invite friends and family over for æbleskiver and gløgg on weekend afternoons. I have seen æbleskiver described as a Danish dessert, but you would rarely see æbleskiver as part of a meal, and even more rarely, you would see æbleskiver served without gløgg.
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Ingredients
1¾ cup 1¾ (4dl) buttermilk
¾ oz ¾ (25g) fresh yeast
2 teaspoons 2 sugar
1 teaspoon 1 Danish vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ½ salt
4 4 eggs
2 cups 2 (250g) flour
Lard or oil for frying
Directions
- Heat the buttermilk until lukewarm. Be careful not to overheat as the buttermilk will curdle at higher temperatures.
- Crumble the yeast and add sugar, salt, and vanilla sugar.
- Mix with the lukewarm buttermilk until the yeast is dissolved.
- Separate the egg yolks and the egg whites (do not throw away). Add the egg yolks to the batter.
- Add flour.
- Whip the egg whites until foamy and fluffy.
- Gently fold in the egg whites.
- Let the batter rise for one hour at room temperature or slightly warmer.
- Transfer the batter to a pitcher. No need to stir the batter.
- Add lard to each of the wells in the æbleskiver pan.
- Turn on the heat and wait for the æbleskiver pan to heat up properly. You fry the æbleskiver at medium high heat.
- Pour batter to the edge of each well.
- Turn the æbleskiver when they are golden brown and crispy on the outside. It is important that you continuously add lard to the wells while frying.
- Add more lard to the wells.
- Fry until golden brown on this half of the sphere too.
- Serve with powdered sugar, jam, and gløgg (Danish mulled wine).
If you want to make proper Danish æbleskiver, you’ll need the right pan for the job. This cast iron æbleskive pan is perfect for getting those little pancake balls golden and crisp on the outside, while keeping them soft and fluffy inside. Whether you’re going traditional with powdered sugar and jam or putting your own spin on it, this pan would be a great choice.
