Aebleskivers

First of all, you need an aebleskiver pan - mine is cast aluminum, others I have seen are cast iron. (See the photo above) I found mine at a thrift store in brand new condition. I tried to use my MIL’s cast iron pan and didn't have as much luck, but she does great with them. The key is just keep trying. If you make up a large batch of batter, you will get more opportunities to practice the technique first. As for turning the aebleskivers, my MIL uses spoons for the turning process, I use toothpicks (even better - bamboo skewers for kabobs - keeps your hand further away from the heat), and the traditional form is to use a knitting needle or a crochet hook. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
6 eggs, separated eggs from yolks - keep both parts
3 TBSP Sugar (you can use less, if desired)
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1 cup light cream (1/2 and 1/2 or Whole milk do fine)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Butter or canola oil
Powdered Sugar
Toppings

Method:
Before you get started mixing, you want to get your pan warming up. I set the stove to medium and let it heat up while I mix up the batter. That is usually enough time to get the pan just right.

First whip egg whites until they hold distinct peaks and set aside.

Beat egg yolks with sugar, cardamom and cream until blended. Sift flour with baking powder and salt - stir into egg yolk mixture. Fold egg whites into egg yolk batter.
Heat pan on medium high heat for a few minutes, add some oil or butter (just a little bit – I use a pastry brush to coat the insides) to each "cup". Fill each cup about 2/3 full with batter. When a light brown shell has formed on the bottom of the aebleskivers (about 30 seconds) flip the ball over (with a knitting needle, crochet hook, spoon, skewer or toothpick - whatever works for you). This is the trickiest part, but after a few tries you figure out how to do it.

Make sure the insides are still really soft, so that you can keep the round shape of the aebleskiver.
Continue cooking and turning until evenly brown and center is fully cooked.

You should be able to get several batches out of the batter. Sprinkle the finished aebleskivers with powdered sugar, if desired (this looks very pretty). Then you can serve them however you wish, here are some ideas:

Jam – usually something more tart, apricot or raspberry
Sugar – some people like to skip the powdered sugar and just coat them in granulated sugar while they are still hot (and a bit sticky)
Syrup – they can be served with any type of syrup, my kids love maple
Caramel – this is over the top, but soooooo good, just cook up a soft caramel and pour a light drizzle over your plate of aebleskivers

These are a little bit more labor intensive than just frying up some eggs or cooking oatmeal - so I really only do these on special occasions. But they are so worth the effort and my kids LOVE them. I love them too, but I really love having a connection to my ancestry, that's what makes them particularly special. Funny thing - I just saw a complete aebleskiver kit in a gourmet cooking catalog - they must be getting popular - FUN! These will take about 30 minutes to make (after your first experience) and will easily serve up to 6 people, especially if some of them are little.

I sure hope you feel like you can make these, they really aren't too tough - just don't expect the first few to turn out very well. Go for it and ENJOY. And if you want to learn a little more about the aebleskiver story, the Solvang Restaurant has some great information about them, and even an Aebleskiver Blog!

Good Luck and have fun - your family will LOVE them! They are our Christmas Tradtition.

Jenny