Pancake Love - Aebelskivers & Buttermilk Caramel Sauce

A few years ago some good friends of ours introduced us to these little round wonders. As an alternative to regular pancakes these are light, puffy and fun to make. They really aren't any more difficult to make either. Besides the opportunity to get creative with just about any kind of filling you can dream up makes a nice way to have a little fun or dress up breakfast for someone you love.

A little history about the Aebelskiver can be found here, and here as well as another recipe here that is sweeter than the version I have below. Once you add the buttermilk caramel syrup we always serve with ours though you definately don't need a lot of sugar in the batter.



Aebelskivers

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
oil for the pan

Heat the aebelskiver pan over medium-high heat.



Place together the flour, baking soda and salt in one bowl and whisk together to combine. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk and egg yolks.



Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks.



Pour the buttermilk over the flour mixture and stir just enough to combine.



Fold the egg whites into the mixture gently.



Place about 1/2 teaspoon oil into each cup of the pan and heat.



Test a little bit of batter in the oil. It should start bubbling immediately if the oil is hot enough. Scoop about 1/8 cup of batter into each cup.



Allow the batter to brown and using a fork or a couple of skewers to roll the ball over to brown the other side. Remove from oil onto a plate with some paper towels.



Serve hot with the syrup.




Buttermilk Caramel Sauce

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla



Place all ingredients, except the vanilla, into a medium saucepan over medium heat.



Stir together and bring to boil. Allow to boil 5 minutes.



Stir in the vanilla, off the heat. Serve warm.



For the filled pancakes:



My favorite variation is chocolate or strawberry jam. After pouring the batter into the pan, place a small amount of chocolate or your favorite jam in the center, try to push it down enough so that it is in the center of the ball. Cover the filling with a little bit of batter to cover it.