I Puffy Heart Puffy Pancakes

As the temperatures drop lower and lower, and the house gets chillier and chillier, a warm breakfast is something my family appreciates. Most morning that would be oatmeal, but on the weekends, I sometimes splurge and make something special. Recently a good friend gifted me with something delightful that I'd had on my wish list for a long time - an ebelskiver pan.

If you are uninitiated in the joys of ebelskivers, let me fill you in. They're a Danish treat - pancakes cooked in a unique pan that allows them to be turned over to form little puffy pillows that can be filled with whatever tickles your tastebuds, sweet or savory.

To break in my new pan, I naturally opted for sweet (that's just me). I found a recipe for Cinnamon Bun Ebelskivers and figured I couldn't go wrong with that. A pancake with a cinnamon bun inside? Oh, yeah, that's my kind of breakfast!



The batter is easy to throw together. Getting the right amount of batter in each well quickly is a bit of a challenge. A pre-measured batter dispenser would be helpful, but I don't have one, so I just scooped up batter with a measuring cup. It works.

Turning the pancakes takes a bit of practice. I've been told there is a handy wooden tool that's shaped just right for flipping them over. Again, I don't have that, so I used wood skewers. It works.



It's not challenging to make these, just a time commitment to be standing at the stove, pouring, filling, turning, waiting, and serving. If you've got a large family, you could be on your feet for quite a while. Or, you could be more clever than me and have your family take turns making their own. Either way, it's a treat breakfast that will be enjoyed and appreciated.


Cinnamon Bun Ebelskivers
- adapted from Williams Sonoma (who also sell the pans)

For the cinnamon filling:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbs. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes,
at room temperature

For the pancakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 cups milk
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
Powdered sugar for dusting

1-To make the cinnamon filling, in a bowl, still together the granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and, using the back of a spoon, mash the butter into the flour mixture until all of it is absorbed into the butter, forming a paste. Set the cinnamon filling aside.

2- To make the pancakes, in a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and granulated sugar. In another bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and the 4 Tbs. melted butter. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the batter will be lumpy. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter in two additions.

Put 1/8 tsp. melted butter in each well of a filled-pancake pan. Set over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 Tbs. batter into each well. Spoon 1/2 tsp. of the cinnamon filling into the center of each pancake and top with 1 Tbs. batter. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes. Using 2 skewers, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the pancakes to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and filling.

Dust the pancakes with the powdered sugar and serve immediately. Makes 35 to 40.