Savory and Sweet Ebelskivers

Wiki: Æbleskiver (Danish meaning apple slices (singular: æbleskive)) are traditional Danish pancakes in a distinctive shape of a sphere. Somewhat similar in texture to American pancakes crossed with a popover, æbleskiver are solid like a pancake but light and fluffy like a popover. The English language spelling is usually aebleskiver or ebleskiver.

Ebelskivers bring back fond memories of trips to Solvang, CA - a small Danish town nestled in the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara County. It's a great place to spend the day, whether it's with the family and exploring the little shops and bakeries or wine-tasting with friends in the many tasting rooms spread out around town (we love the Malbec at Lucas and Lewellen Vineyards). Regardless, you can always count on a line forming outside Solvang Restaurant, young and old alike, eagerly waiting for Arne's freshly made ebelskivers. They serve the ebelskivers a couple of different ways, usually with powdered sugar and raspberry jam.

Thanks to Williams-Sonoma (which I have to applaud for their continuous effort to bring these food crazes into our home kitchens), you don't have to travel very far to satisfy your ebelskiver cravings. I tested out several different savory and sweet fillings - the possibilities really are endless with this pan. There are a couple of ways to prepare the dough:

1. Williams-Sonoma Ebelskiver Pancake Mix
2. Your favorite pre-made pancake mix
3. Your favorite home-made pancake batter

I was lazy and opted for #2 - a malted waffle and pancake mix we bought for our Belgium waffle maker.

Savory Ebelskivers: Bacon, Egg & Cheese

Williams-Sonoma has a great video tutorial  - definitely watch it before attempting to make these. There are some great tips and techniques to be learned.



Brush the heated pan with melted butter and pour in the batter - only pour it about half-full.


Pile in all the fillings. Then pour a little bit more batter over the tops. If you get greedy like me, your pan will overflow.


Cook one side on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Then using two long wooden skewers, flip the ebelskivers around to cook the other side.


For savory fillings, I think some sort of sauce to serve on top is in order. Otherwise, the ebelskivers come out too dry and muffin-like. Did someone say bacon cream sauce?

Sweet Ebelskivers: Strawberry & Nutella, Pumpkin & Chocolate, Speculoos

All the sweet ones were pretty tasty - there are so many different things you can fill them with: fruits and jams, spreads like peanut butter and jelly - the possibilities are endless. I've even been challenged to make a Red Velvet Ebelskiver (like my pancakes) with cream cheese filling...still trying to wrap my head around how to make a good one.

However, nothing beats the Speculoos Ebelskiver - actually, nothing really beats Speculoos. I was first introduced to this highly-addictive graham cracker-like spread (I dare say this is even more addicting than Nutella!) from my friend and fellow foodie Steph, who brought me back a bottle from her last Paris vacation. Fellow Delta Airlines travelers will recognize the taste immediately as a spread form of the fabulous and free Biscoff cookies that the airline passes out. There have been rumors that Speculoos will soon be making its way to the American market - I hope so. I'm down to my last couple of spoonfuls.



Ebelskivers are a fun alternative to the traditional breakfast food - very kid-friendly and customizable to everyone's tastes. Happy Ebelskiving!