Buttermilk Aebleskivers are a Danish treat, a cross between a pancake and donut without the deep frying! We love to make Buttermilk Aebleskiver on Christmas morning and eat them plain, filled with a little jam or chocolate and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Buttermilk Aebleskivers

Introduction to Danish Aebleskiver

A few years ago, my friend Jill hosted a gathering for the young women in our neighborhood at Christmas time. We spent a good part of the evening eating these delicious Danish Aebleskiver. It was the first time I helped make aebleskiver and I was amazed at how simple they are to create at home! My guess is, most of the ingredients you will have on hand in your pantry and fridge.

Danish Aebleskivers

What you need to make Danish Aebleskiver

The only absolutely necessary piece of equipment is the Aebleskiver pan. One is essential, two are nice if you are feeding a large crowd!  I have this pan, and also this  less expensive pan. I can’t detect much of a difference at all while cooking the aebleskiver.

This recipe for Buttermilk Aebleskiver takes minutes to mix up and then it’s just a matter of cooking the batter in an Aebleskiver pan and keeping  up with the demand of flipping and sprinkling the aebleskiver with  powdered sugar before they get eaten up! If you are using two pans, two people in charge of cooking and filling the pans, flipping, etc., makes the process much easier!

Aebleskiver Pan

Variations of Buttermilk Aebleskiver

There are many variations to Buttermilk Aebleskiver! If you love chocolate, try making some of the batter chocolate. Add 1/4 cup of unsweetened  cocoa powder to the batter and cook as directed. If you want to flavor half of the batter with chocolate, cook about half of the batter and then add two tablespoons of cocoa powder to the remaining batter before cooking.

Mini chocolate chips or Nutella spread in the middle of the Aebleskiver are a fun twist! Place a small amount of batter (1/2 of normal amount) into the pan. While the batter is cooking, fill with chocolate chips or Nutella, then spoon a little more batter on top before flipping over with wood skewers . If you don’t have wood skewers (sold in most grocery stores, hanging in the baking aisle) you may also use toothpicks!

Fruit or jam filling may also be added to the dough using the same method as the chocolate filling!

Buttermilk Aebleskivers with powdered sugar

Danish Ancestors found!

The tradition of making Aebleskiver took on more meaning to me after recently discovering I have Danish ancestry. We have Danish ancestors dating back to the early 1600’s! They were from Maribo, Denmark and later emmigrated to Utah.

I would love to have a peek and see what they ate during Christmas long ago…I wonder if they were gathered around a table or stove enjoying Aebleskiver in December? Oh, also, I found out Aebleskiver is the plural of Aebleskive!

Easy to make Buttermilk Aebleskivers

How to make Danish Aebleskiver:

  • Separate whites and beat until peaks form.
  • In another bowl, combine egg yolks and buttermilk.
  • Add dry ingredients all at once to buttermilk mixture.
  • Add melted butter.
  • Fold in egg whites.
  • Heat Aebleskiver pan, and butter each portion of pan.
  • Place a small amount of batter into pan and cook until golden.
  • Turn with skewers or toothpicks.
  • Remove from pan and sprinkle with powdered sugar while hot!

Buttermilk Aebleskiver are a perfect Christmas morning treat served with an overnight breakfast casserole, such as Cowboy Christmas Breakfast,  Overnight Croissant Breakfast Bake,  or Christmas Morning Brioche and Tomato Bake.  Add some fresh fruit and cocoa and you’ll have a Christmas morning tradition your family will look forward to each year!

Buttermilk Aebleskivers

**This post was originally published December 18, 2015 and has been updated to include notes about adding eggs to the recipe, the second (less expensive) pan, and notes about family ties to this recipe!

Buttermilk Aebleskivers

4.76 from 33 votes
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Author: Si Foster
Course: Breakfast
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Aebleskiver are light little pillows of pan fried dough, commonly enjoyed in Denmark. This recipe includes the use of buttermilk which makes the aebleskiver extra light and fluffy!

Ingredients 

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • butter for pan

Instructions

  • Separate the eggs* and beat whites until soft peaks form, and set aside.(see recipe notes)
  • In another bowl, combine egg yolks and buttermilk and mix together.
  • Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar all at once.
  • Add melted butter and mix until blended on low speed (I do this by hand with a whisk).
  • Fold in the egg whites using a spatula.
  • Heat an Aebleskiver pan over medium heat, brush each cup with melted butter.
  • Using a 1/4 cup measure, Pour about 2 tablespoons of batter into each cup, and, when bubbly around the edges, turn with a long wooden skewer or toothpick, this takes less than 2 minutes.
  • Continue cooking on the other side until golden. You can test for doneness by removing one of the balls of cooked dough and breaking in half.
  • If you would like to fill the Aebleskiver, you can place about 1 tablespoon of batter in pan, then drop a teaspoon of jam and top with more batter.
  • Serve immediately, sprinkled with powdered sugar, jam and butter.

Notes

  • You can skip the step where the eggs are separated, and simply add the eggs one at a time and beat well, but the dough will not have quite the same consistency as when the egg whites are beaten and folded in! I often skip the separation of eggs and just beat the egg before adding to batter. 
  • This recipe is easily halved. a half recipe yields about 20 pieces. 
  • Best when batter is made right before cooking. 
  • If the pan gets too hot and is burning the batter, remove from heat and let cool a bit! Don’t let the pan get too hot or the batter with burn before it has a chance to cook inside. Medium to medium-high heat works best!

Did you make this recipe?

Be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. I’d love to see a photo, tag @abountifulkitchen on Instagram!