Æbleskiver= Happy Tummies

Ever wonder what in the world these pans are for?

Well, here you have it a very traditional danish dish....

Æbleskiver

I made some last saturday for breakfast and YUM they are sooo good! We all love them. I grew up eating these all the time, either as a dessert treat or for breakfast. Americans eat doughnuts, Danes eat Aebleskiver.:-)

Here is the recipe (there are many different variations of it, using buttermilk and lemon zest, but this is the one I used, this recipe is from the cookbook Cooking Danish by Stig Hansen) they take some practice to get right, but are totally worth it:-) We eat them sprinkled in powdered sugar and dipped in Raspberry or strawberry jam:-)

Makes 24 to 26
1 3/4 cups bread flour (I used all purpose)
2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup 2% milk (I used fat free)
2 eggs
Shortening ( I used vegetable oil)
Confectioners' sugar

(You will need an Æbleskiver pan to prepare these doughnuts. They can be found in many kitchen equipment stores and in Scandinavian import stores.)

1 - Combine the flour with the yeast, sugar and cardamom in a mixing bowl. Combine the butter and milk in a saucepan and heat to 70 to 80 degrees. Add to the flour mixture and mix well. Mix in the eggs. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

2 - Heat an Æbleskiver pan over low to medium (300-degree) heat. Add a small amount of shortening on the tip of a knife to each cup. Spoon the dough into the cups filling four-fifths full.Cook until the bottoms begin to brown and push one-fourth of the doughnut up to begin to brown the top. Repeat the process, then turn the doughnut completely over to form a ball and cook until golden brown all over.

3 - Remove to a serving plate and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Serve with Raspberry Jam, applesauce and sugar to dip in.