It was a distinct pleasure to work with Pim on her gorgeous Æbleskiver cookbook, which highlights her creativity and love of this classic treat. From the very beginning, I was inspired by the wide array of traditional and unusual flavors and after seeing her colorful photographs (which drove me out to buy an æbleskiver pan of my own) I wanted to try every. single. one. With the holidays coming, I can’t think of a better cookbook to go to for a festive breakfast or brunch! 

Æbleskiver are fascinating in their simplicity and potential. A plate of æbleskiver can be as basic as simple pancakes served with butter and syrup or with jam and whipped cream. They can also be closer in texture and flavor to muffins or rolls—the possibilities are endless. Sweet or savory, they can be served any time of day, from breakfast to brunch, lunch, dinner, and dessert. To me, creating happiness with delicious food and healing bodies with nutritious food is love, and that’s why this book includes æbleskiver recipes that are gluten-free, vegan, and much more.

Historically, slices of apple were dipped in pancake batter and fried, explaining the origin of the name æbleskiver (pronounced EE-bleh-skewr), which literally means “apple slices.” (Æble= apple, and skiver= slices.) The word æbleskive is singular and æbleskiver is plural. Although it’s tempting to add an “s” at the end, “æbleskivers” is grammatically incorrect. Over time, the name stayed the same, but the recipe evolved, and now æbleskiver can include other ingredients, not just apples. But they will always be in the shape of a more or less symmetrical sphere. Because of my Scandinavian roots, many of the flavor combinations in this book originate from my own food memories and the region’s culinary traditions.

Old stories tell of Vikings returning from battle and using their banged-up shields over an open fire as the first æbleskiver pans. Even the pans first created specifically to make æbleskiver are said to be made from copper and are more than three hundred years old. Copper was later replaced by cast iron, often the preferred material used today. Some electric models are available as well, but few have multiple settings, making it tricky to get evenly cooked æbleskiver, so I don’t recommend them. Nonstick models can be a plus for egg-less batters, which tend to stick more to the pan than those with eggs, and for special diets that avoid butter or oil.

HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT SPHERE

1. Place the pan over low to medium heat and add ½ teaspoon of butter or oil to each cavity. Let the butter melt until it starts to bubble.

2. Pour enough batter into each cavity to fill it almost to the top. The batter will expand and create a small “muffin top. Ice cream scoops are great tools for pouring in the batter. If you’re making filled æbleskiver, fill the cavities a little less, no more than halfway, before adding the filling. Lightly cover the filling with more batter to get the same result.

3. Use a wooden skewer to turn the æbleskiver 90°. You will know when they are ready to turn by poking them all the way through, and gently turn the skewer. They will turn easily when they are ready, and the uncooked batter will pour to the bottom.

4. Turn the æebleskiver another 90° in a different direction to continue to close up the sphere. Lift up the æbleskiver while turning and tuck in the overflow.

5. Unless the uncooked batter already fills the cavities to the top, add a little bit more batter to top them off before turning to close them up. Lift and turn to move the opening to the bottom of the pan.

6. Turn the æbleskiver to close them up and continue to turn until golden all around. They are cooked all the way through when a small wooden skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Serve right away or keep the æbleskiver warm in a 200°F (100°C) oven. Don’t be intimidated by the impressive-looking sphere shapes of the æbleskiver. When you use a traditional æebleskiver pan, they are actually very easy to make. To get perfect spheres, the cavities in the pan should be half-sphere shaped. Some pans have cavities with a flat bottom, and if you have one of those, they won’t make the same shape you’ll see here, but they will be just as tasty. If that’s the case, you simply turn the æbleskiver over a few times to complete cooking. Low to medium heat is a good range for most recipes, mostly depending on the difference in pan sensitivity and stove accuracy, but also on how some ingredients need more time to cook. The first time you try a new recipe, start on the lower end to make sure you don’t end up with burnt æbleskiver with an uncooked center.

Recipes using yeast or sourdough do well cooked a bit slower, on lower heat. Since they need a little more space to expand, you want to avoid closing them up too quickly, in turn making them unnecessarily dense.