Æbleskiver: The Most Delicious of Danish Christmas Traditions!
I’m here to tell you, being married to a Dane has some perks. Hands down, CHIEF AMONG THEM, is Æbleskiver (pronounced “able-skee-ver”).
Æbleskiver are sweet, little pancake pillows the Danes serve around Christmas. It’s not Christmas in Denmark without Æbleskiver.
I met my husband when I was studying abroad in Denmark as an undergrad. My favorite moments of that year were falling in love with a guy and falling in love with a culture. Anders (or “Buns” as I call him) tolerated the teaching of Danish traditions and was always patient with my incessant questions. “Why do you guys walk everywhere?” “Why are your pastries so delicious?” “Why is everyone so tall?”
When Christmas rolled around that year, my Danish education was kicked into high gear as I learned about “hygge,” or the concept of true coziness. It was then I had my first Æbleskiver, made by my future mother-in-law, and life has never been the same since. The questions continued.
“How do you make them into little balls?” “The ‘Æble’ in Æbleskiver means ‘apple,’ so why are there no apples in them?” “Why don’t the Danes eat them with a fork and a knife like you do ALL other foods?” By the way, the answers to those questions are, in order: a special cast iron pan, they used to be made with apples but aren’t anymore, and ‘we just prefer our hands for this one dish.’ Ha! Real talk though– the Danes, like most Europeans, use a fork and knife for eating absolutely everything, so seeing them use their fingers to dip Æbleskiver in powdered sugar and raspberry jam (the only way to eat it) is a treat in and of itself.
The only special tool or ingredient you’d need for this is the cast iron pan itself. I got ours as a wedding present, so I’m not sure of the brand, but this one looks exactly like mine.
This recipe makes about 24 Æbleskiver. It’s my mother-in-law’s recipe, so it’s as authentic as it gets! Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1 1/4 cup Flour
- 2 tbsp. Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1 cup Lowfat Milk
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 2 tbsp. Canola Oil
- Butter (for seasoning the pan)
- Raspberry Jam & Powdered Sugar (for dipping!)
DIRECTIONS:
- Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine thoroughly. The consistency should be a thinner version of American pancake batter.
- Place a small pat of butter in each Æbleskiver hole and set stove to medium heat.
- After butter has melted and pan is hot, fill each hole 3/4 of the way with batter. Resist the urge to fill them all the way to the top, they will rise as they bake and you don’t want them rising past the top.
- After 2-3 minutes, “flip” the half circle over so the other side will bake and create a ball shape. To flip- use a fork or wooden skewer to pierce the edge of a ball and pull it back over itself. The uncooked batter from the middle falls to the bottom and creates the other circle’s side. “Flipping” takes practice to get good at, but you’ll get the hang of it very quickly. As my mother in law says, “the first batch doesn’t count anyway.” 🙂
See pictures below for reference.
Now remember, it’s not Æbleskiver without powdered sugar and raspberry jam on each bite. My husband is a big fan of the jam/preserves brand “Bonne Maman” because he says it tastes the most like what they have back in Denmark–extra fresh and not a lot of added sugar.
Flip, dip, and enjoy! God Jul!
Love, Friis
