Uncle John's Aebleskivers

My brother John served his LDS mission in Denmark where he learned to make these.  Later, when my family visited him he delighted us by making aebleskivers. We loved dipping the spheres in a variety of sweets. They do require a specialized cast iron pan but I have found it worth it to keep two in my kitchen, which allows me to efficiently cook for a crowd.

For years these have been a Saturday morning favorite breakfast or Sunday dinner when I have family or friends eating with me. During their recent visit, Adam and Gabe got to eat aebleskivers for the first time.

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Uncle John's Aebleskivers

Yield: lots and lots, between 70 and 80. This recipe could be easily halved or multiplied.

4 eggs, separated
3/4 c sugar
5 c flour (you may substitute up to half wheat flour or wheat pastry flour, if you like)
1 T baking powder 
4 c milk, plus a bit more if needed
1/2 teas cardamom powder, optional
1-2 T butter, melted, for the pan
jams, sugars, honey, etc., for dipping

Place the aebleskiver pan over medium heat and preheat the pan. Depending on your stove you will have to watch and change to keep the heat at a level that doesn't burn the outside of the aebleskivers before the insides are cooked. A scorched but gooey aebleskiver is, to say the least, undesirable. 

Whip the egg whites to a stiff meringue. Set aside. In a large bowl mix the egg yolks and stir in the sugar. Measure flour in a bowl and stir in the baking powder and cardamom, if using. Add the flour and milk to the egg yolk mixture, alternating 3 times, stirring well with each addition. The batter should be like a thick pancake batter. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. You're ready to cook.

You may oil the pan with cooking spray but I like to have a bowl of melted butter and a pastry brush nearby to lube the pan between batches. This is the best way to get butter on these spheres.

Once the pan is oiled or buttered, use an ice cream disher to pour the batter into the pan up to the level of the opening. Of course, if you don't have a disher, just use a quarter cup measure. Let the aebleskivers cook until browned on the bottom then turn them over using a chopstick. The tops will be covered with bubbles, like pancakes just before turning. I push the stick right down the middle to the bottom of the batter and pull it up to flip it over. There will be runny batter held by the cooked portion of the sphere; just let it flow into the bottom and set the cooked part on top. You may have to re-seat the aebleskiver a bit with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Let them continue to cook. Knowing when these are done becomes easier with experience. Use a toothpick as a tester and keep cooking until there is no liquid clinging to it. The toothpick can also be used to remove the aebleskivers from the pan when they are done.

I like to cook several batches of aebleskivers before calling a big group to the table and keep them warm 200 degree oven.

Allow diners to choose from several options for dipping: cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, demerara sugar, jam, honey, or Nutella. Each person should place several dippers and some aebleskivers on a plate and dig in.

If there are leftovers, they can be frozen for a month or so. They'll start to get a bit tough if they are in the freezer longer.

Note:

Once when a grandson was visiting we by mistake found that overfilling the pan's mold (by about a spoonfull) will produce what he called "Saturn aebleskivers" and at least one batch of "Saturns" is always requested whenever I make aebleskivers for my grandsons.