Aebleskivers a.k.a Ebelskivers

Aebleskivers are a type of pancake cooked in a special stove-top pan with half-spherical molds. The center is soft and fluffy, almost creamy. The crust is crisp and browned. In Denmark, aebleskivers are traditionally plated in threes, dusted with powdered sugar, topped or filled with tart jams of Nordic berries and served with mellow Scandinavian coffee.

There, aebleskivers ( may be pronounced as “eb-el-ski-ver” , “a-bla-ski-va”, “eb-el-sku-wyr” , “ebb-ull-skee-vers” or "able-skEEvers") have typically not been served in restaurants or for breakfast, but rather at the family table for afternoon coffee breaks. On long and cold Nordic winter evenings, they are served with glögg. In the wintertime, aebleskivers are often sold by street vendors. A symbol of community and hospitality, they are very popular at Scandinavian charity and open-air events.

​ There are many recipes for the batter, but they generally fall into two categories: those made with baking soda (or baking powder) as a leavening agent, or those made with yeast. The batters vary in texture and flavor -- and yeasted batters take a bit more patience to prepare and will expand more in the pan -- and which you prefer is a matter of personal taste.

Prepared mixture where all you have to do is add milk, eggs and butter is a great alternative to making ebelskivers (aebleskivers) from scratch. 

The earliest known aebleskiver pans are more than 300 years old and were made from hammered copper. But bare copper proved to be far from ideal and was soon succeeded by cast iron, which distributes heat more evenly and forms a natural nonstick surface. Today pans are also made from aluminum with nonstick coating. 

All I had to do was watch carefully and take pictures as my daughter did all the cooking .
The possibilities for this snack are endless. In the photo above she placed a cube of Brie cheese in the batter with a small dollop of red pepper jelly and then added more batter on top of that to cook in a special pan.

Two skewers are used to turn each one in the pan. 

  

​Another appetizer idea would be using cheddar cheese and a mixture of dried herbs such as chives and parsley flakes. 

These ebelskivers were more like a dessert with a dollop of blueberry jam inside. After they were cooked each one was dusted with powdered sugar.    

The shape and taste of these ebelskivers reminded me of a New Orleans treat called beignets.   
Here are some links for more recipes. If you don't have an ebelskiver pan perhaps put it on your Christmas list. Not only do adults love cooking this Danish treat but its fun for kids to make them. 

http://www.pinterest.com/bellaw/ebelskiver-recipes/
http://www.food.com/recipe-finder/all/ebelskiver
http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/morning-glory-our-top-rated-ebelskiver-pancakes/