Foodie Friday – Ebelskivers

“Ebel-what?” you might be saying to yourself.  These little beauties might have a crazy name, but they are crazy good!

When I was little I remember going up to Minnesota to visit my grandparents, and at least once during our trip my grandmother would make these for breakfast.  Visiting them was the only time that I got to have ebelskivers, and it was one of many dishes that she made that I always looked forward to.

This year for Christmas my grandparents got me my own Ebelskiver maker! I was so excited to try it out.

Source - Williams-Sonoma

What is an ebelskiver?  They are traditional Danish pancakes that are in the shape of a sphere.  Think of them as a hybrid between an American pancake and a popover – they are solid like a pancake but light and fluffy like a popover, and often times they are filled with a jam, jelly, or applesauce.

Traditionally they are cooked on the stove top in a pan similar to the one above, but the pan is in the shape of a circle.  This is the type my grandmother still uses, but she bought us the electric one..it’s a little easier to control.

I realize that not everyone will have the appliance needed to make this recipe, but it might peak your interest enough to check them out!

Here is the basic recipe I got from the booklet that came with the maker -

Ingredients
*1 egg
*1 cup all-purpose flour
*3/4 cup milk
*1 tablespoon sugar
*2 tablespoons vegetable oil
*1 tablespoon baking powder
*1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together, breaking up any lumps.  Then slowly add water until the batter is not too think yet not too thin.  The thicker the batter, the thicker the pancakes will be.  Pour batter into the Ebelskiver Filled Pancake Maker, about halfway full.

Then, add a small amount of whatever filling you want.  The ones that I made have apple butter and strawberry jam in them.  Some other favorites are applesauce and fresh fruit, and we even made some dessert ones filled with Nutella and Hershey’s Kisses!

Once you’ve added the filling, add a little more of the batter to the maker, just until it reaches the top of the divet.

When you see them start to bubble at the top, it’s time to flip them.  They sell special little tools to do this with, but you don’t need them…a long wooden skewer works great.  Just don’t use any metal utensils as it will scratch the non-stick surface.

Cook another couple of minutes, flip them back over to make sure they are cooked, then pop them onto a plate, cover with syrup and/or powdered sugar (my grandpa like Grand Marnier on his..I like his style!) and serve while hot!  The recipe makes about 27 ebelskivers.

These are such an easy and fun food to cook and eat!

Tomorrow I am doing a double race day….I am running the Boulderdash 5k near my house in the morning. This was my first official 5k when I got into running, so I’m anxious to see how my time is, assuming my quads stop being sore from my WOD at Crossfit on MONDAY!!! (Yes, they still hurt).  THEN…I run home, shower, and head to Warrior Dash with Sharon!  We’ve been looking forward to this race for a long time, so we’re really excited to do it.  And you can bet there will be race recaps on both!

Have you ever heard of ebelskivers?  Have you tried them before?  Have you run more than one race in a day?

Have a great weekend!

Until next time,