I recently saw a recipe for Ebelskivers in Parade Magazine that called for an unbelievable amount of sugar followed by even more sugar to be sprinkled on top of the finished product. Sure, these donut-like, filled Danish fritters might remind you of dessert, but they by no means need all that sugar (and white flour) to turn out delicious!
I have to credit my dad for introducing us to these “round pancakes,” as we like to call them in our family. He started making them for all the
grandkids a few years back, and my daughters liked them so much they bought me a pan so I could make them at home. Which brings me to a valid point…you do need a special pan (pictured) to make these! And I even share the technique for making them in the short video below (you’ll have to x out the ad to see the subtitles). They are really fun to cook and, especially if you are new to the concept, they can make for a pretty special breakfast. Plus since round pancakes kind of remind me of donuts, I’m a fan. :)
Before we dive right into the video though I’d like to introduce one of our newest sponsors….The Pursuit of Healthiness! This Facebook page chronicles a busy girl’s life as she attempts to become healthy and fit while working full time. Her page almost resembles a support group of sorts so go “like” her on Facebook in order to follow along as she makes the transition to real food.
Filled Pancakes (a.k.a. Whole-Wheat Ebelskivers)
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk, preferably whole
- 4 eggs
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted + extra for cooking
- 1 tablespoon honey
- pure maple syrup, warmed (for serving)
Filling Options
- bananas
- pears
- peaches
- blueberries
- pecans
- jam
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
- Separate the egg yolks from the eggs whites. This can be done by cracking the shells in half and moving the yolk back and forth between the two halves while the whites drip into a bowl.
- In a small bowl combine the milk, egg yolks, melted butter, and honey and whisk together thoroughly. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until combined, but still lumpy.
- Using an electric mixer whisk the egg whites until white and fluffy and soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula carefully fold the egg whites into the pancake batter.
- Finely dice fruit and/or nuts to use as pancake filling, set aside.
- Warm up the pan over medium heat. Cut the butter into small bits about the size of a pencil eraser. Once pan is warm add a tiny pat of butter to each well in the pan.
- Next, using two spoons, fill each well about halfway with batter. Working quickly add about a teaspoon of filling (to each well) on top of the batter in the pan. Then quickly top with more pancake batter until filled to the top.
- Once the bottoms start to brown use the skewers to turn pancakes halfway. As soon as you are finished turning them halfway start working to turn them over the rest of the way until the other side browns.
- Once the batch is done use a spoon to remove pancakes from pan. Keep pancakes warm and repeat with rest of batter.
Serve with warm syrup and fresh fruit if desired.
Recipe Notes
Special equipment needed: Wooden skewers or chopsticks for cooking
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
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Just made this for breakfast this morning and everyone liked it. Thank you so much!
Ebelskivers are also great prepared with gluten free flour!
What if you used a muffin pan and baked them, would that work?
If you want to make a savory seafood version of filled pancakes, try Japanese takoyaki! Delicious!
We love making ebelskivers!!
Can you use a cupcake tin for this instead of the Ebelskiver pan?
Hi there. Turning them would be the difficult issue. If you give it a go, let us know.
Thank you posting this recipe so now we have a healthy breakfast.
I have an electric doughnut hole maker. I didn’t know this was something special… But I’ve been doing this for a couple years… Using it to make pancake balls. Never filled them though. … Also have an electric mini doughnut maker that I’ve used for everything from pancakes to cakes and muffins mixes. I just thought I was being lazy, not wanting to turn the oven on. Lol!!!
I just got my pan today,,, planning on making them on Sunday…. can’t wait!!
Thank you for this healthy version! My great-grandma immigrated from Switzerland and taught my mom how to make these, and she made them for us on special occasions when we were young. Now, I make them for my family whenever I can, often for dinner! Some of our favorite fillings are peaches, apples, or my mom usually used pineapple.
I am so going to try these this weekend. My MIL has bought my kids every kind of Babycakes machine there is, I think the cake pop one will work perfect for making these. Thank you, I am in desperate need to figure out breakfast ideas for my kids. I am not home when they get up during the week so boxed cereal is all the hubby is up to making for breakfasts, looking for items I can prepare ahead :)
used this recipe today and it was a success, this is the first time I was able to make them without managing to crumble them lol.
thanks!
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. I do wish though, that you’d use aebleskiver as the name (in danish it is: æbleskiver – meaning apple slices or discs). It makes it harder to find the recipe, as I would not normally search for ebleskivers (the “er” at the end of the word already denotes it as a plural, BTW). More people might find it if it was spelled correctly. :)
What is song you have playing on the video? I like it and also want to try these Ebelskivers.
Hi. The song is “Beautiful Day” by Ryan Huston.
Thank you so much. i really like the song!
Do you think you can substitute the milk with coconut? For a dairy free alternative? Thanks!
Yes, you can. :)
Hello!!! Just saw this recipe and I was wondering if you could use it for mini pancakes in a mini muffin tin?
I was thinking the samething. I have a small kitchen and do not have room for more stuff
Hi Sarah. That’s not something we’ve tried. Let us know if you do.
Could you use frozen fruit in these or do you think fresh is best?
Hi Michelle. Frozen fruit will work, too.
My family came over to the states from Denmark and we have an old world ableskiver recipe that I use. It doesn’t use a ton of flour and sugar. They are more egg and buttermilk based. These are my favorite and to see them made healthy makes me want to get out the old pan and make some.
Love this! We lived in Denmark for three with our 3 small children about 12 years ago. These were a holiday staple everywhere we went. I, too, have the pan, and plan on making more this Christmas. I’m going to try them your way and see what everyone thinks. Thanks for update a fabulous memory.