You got me intrigued. This is what I found. I just might be interested! It's pantastic you know - ha ha. That's how the little commercial ended.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.pancakepuff.com/

Normally, I would scoff at another one of those "as seen on TV" gimmicks. But this is your granddaughters, and that makes a huge difference. Here's a link to someone who has done all the "dirty work" and figured out how to make the little gizmo work.

Here's another pan, cheaper I think, that makes the original pancake puff.

Should be fun. Enjoy

Here is a link that might be useful: Making pancake puffs

Thank you, thank you! You guys are awesome, as always. My granddaughters will be delighted!

They are called Danish Ebelskiver pans.

I have been wanting one of these pans myself, ever since I made a batter for pumpkin puff pancakes and cooked them on a non-stick griddle but I think the batter would work better in one of these pans. I've been looking around at the cookshops here in Holland but so far, no luck. The ones that the Dutch use to make their poffertjes seem more shallow than the ebelskiver design.

Here is the recipe:

Pumpkin Puff Pancakes
(makes 4 servings)

1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 large eggs
2 Tbs melted butter
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup unflavored yogurt
2 Tbs sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
warmed maple syrup

In a small bowl whisk the flour and remaining dry ingredients. In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs and melted butter - add pumpkin, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Blend in the dry ingredients and mix until just evenly moistened. Drop by heaping tablespoonful into a hot greased griddle. When firm and lightly browned, flip and cook on the other side. Serve with warmed maple syrup.

**note: I used a thick whole milk Greek yogurt - perhaps that's why my batter was stiff or maybe that's the way it's supposed to be.

Regardless - these were delicious, and I'm not a fan of regular pancakes.

seagrass

Here is a link that might be useful: Ebelskiver pan

I have wanted one of those good Ebelskiver pans for a very long, but jut can't bring myself to buy something that I wouldn't use all the time. But I still lust for a good non-stick one. I have drooled over them in my Williams Sonoma catalog 100 times. But there are so many other things I would use more. Like a salad spinner. So, I just keep drooling. If anybody gets one, please post about it so I will know if I should just break down and buy one.
Sherry

SWAPPERS ARE YOU LISTENING??? Sherry is lusting after a Salad Spinner and an Ebelskiver pan! When I participate in a swap, I love a good lead!

I have used a cast iron ebelskiver pan when I worked in retail and that is the one I would get. With proper seasoning, the cast iron pan will be naturally non-stick. I would not buy a non-stick coated pan in this case.

Traditionally, knitting needles were used to turn the cakes over to cook on the other side. I think I remember making apple filled cakes when I demo-ed the pan and I used a chop stick to turn them over.

Knitting needles and cast iron make sense! I doubt they had teflon or chopsticks in Scandanavia when the ebelskiver was conceived LOL!

seagrass

I have seasoned my cast iron pans and they still sometimes stick.

I had one a long, long time ago when they first became a craze. Back in the '60's, I think.

Used it twice and never did again. Takes quite a while to cook up a batch for more than 2 people. Turn them with a toothpick, it works just as well, BTW.

Not tempted by them again. It's a fad, like the Salad Shooter thingy. They're good, but not so good it was worth the time it took to make them.

Ebelskivers served with scrambled eggs and bacon is my family's all-time favorite breakfast. I have 2 cast iron ebelskiver pans and use a skewer to turn them. We especially like them with homemade strawberry jam! Here's the recipe I use:

EBELSKIVER

1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups sour cream or buttermilk

Sift dry ingredients into bowl, add liquid and eggs and beat until smooth. Heat ebelskiver pan. Put 1 teaspoon melted butter in each hole, then fill half full of the batter. When light brown, turn with fork and brown other side; use rather low heat so inside of ebleskiver will be done. Serve with powdered sugar and strawberry jam. Cooked apples or other fruit may be put on top of batter before turning to brown other side.

Oh yummy

bump

I have a couple of the ebelskiver pans. One is cast iron, the other a nonstick Nordic Ware that I got at the WS outlet. My cast iron one is small & it seems that no matter how well & often I season it if the jelly filling leaks, things are going to stick. I found the Nordic Ware one much easier to use. I think they're fun & I enjoy making them. My son is 4 and he loves them. There are a bunch of recipes for them on the Williams Sonoma website & they're really fun to pop right in your mouth so I'll bet that your granddaughters will love them. Think of a warm, yummy, non fried version of a dunkin munchkin.

We like ginger or cherry preserves in ours. And I also use either chopsticks or wooden skewers to flip them with.

Nina

Has anyone tried using mixes - like pancake or muffin mixes?

I tried pancake mix once. Never again. It was a disaster.

Nina

I'll have to go to the Solvang Restaurant the next time I'm in Solvang (possibly this summer) and check them out. Chef Arne's video was very helpful, but I doubt that is something I would make very often. However, if I fall in love with them at the restaurant, I can buy the pan there.

Lars

A lot of years ago, I was at a household auction ( one of my favorite things to do!) and there was an ebelskiver pan and krumkaka baker and a rosette iron with several "attachments" and I bought them all for maybe $2.50.
I didn't know from beans about ebelskivers but asked my Danish friend how to make them....she said you just mix up pancake batter, grease the pan, fill about 2/3 full of batter and when ready, flip them with a knitting needle...Oh yes and you might want to put some apple sauce in the middle before you flip them...
Yeah! Right!
I tried it once...made a mess and stuck it away in the "seldom used items" cupboard.
So this morning, reading these postings, I began to drool....looked at Chef Arne's video and drooled more and thought piece of cake!
I had an appoint ment at 11 and then needed to run some errands.....and all the time I am thinking "ebelskivers....ebelskivers...ebelskivrs....MMMM!
So when I got home I decided to make a small batch for lunch.
I used 1/2 of julie's recipe...
What I discovered.....I need more practise!!!!
Mixed up a batch....looked thick so I added a little more buttermilk.
Heated the pan, put a dab of butter into each hole and began to fill them with batter....but before I got the 4th one filled the butter in the empty holes had bagun to burn and smoke....wiped it out added more and added the batter but by then the first that I poured were beginning to get vry brown on the edges, so I gave them a 1/2 turn, a la Chef Arne, and then completed the turn....they were a little dark on the undersice but not toobad.....turned the fire down....I waited, turned them again...perfect round balls by the way....turned again and the undersides were really beginning to burn....I stuck a skewer into the middle and it came out moist....but they were burning on the outside....so I left them as much longer as I thought I dared and put them on a plate....put a glop of my apple pie jam next to them and proceeded to cut into one lushous puff...
And Voila! I had invented something new! Molten lava ebelskivers!...Filled with runny uncooked batter!
So back to the pan. I decided that the batter was still too thick, that the pan was too hot and that I had filled the cups too full.
So I thinned the batter some more, added the butter very quickly and poured the pans about 2/3 full......they took longer to get done enough to turn, bur finally they were cooked enough to hold a shape and I did that little 1/2 turn thingdy....and they spilled liquid batter into the cup....so I waited a bit and completed the turn...but there was not enough batter....and what I ended up with was little sort of dough cups, slightly blackened on the outside.
I think I'll go watch Chef Arne once more.
Linda C

lol, Linda! Practice makes perfect...:)

Lars, I haven't been to Solvang in ages. Is my memory gone...or, is there a Pea Soup Andersen's there? I seem to remember being in the restaurant (it was really dirty!) but the soup was good...all you could eat...and my toddler son kept eating & eating & eating. Oh, it was a LONG ride home & I didn't bring enough diapers!

/tricia

Anderson's Restaurant is still there, but it is in Buellton instead of Solvang, about 2-3 miles away. I haven't been there because we always park in Solvang and walk around, and Buellton is too far to walk. I got interested from all the billboards for Anderson's that I used to see, but split pea soup I'll make myself. I do like it, but it's not something I'd look for in a restaurant. If it's on the menu, I'll order it as a soup course, however.

When I took my sister to Solvang, she was on her way back to Texas from China and took a layover to visit me. Unfortunately, she picked up a stomach bug in China, probably from bamboo chop sticks that had been washed in contaminated water, and she could not enjoy any of the restaurants:(. Despite the Disneyland feel of Solvang, I still like it. I especially like the bakeries.

As for the aebleskiver, I have a fear that my experience would be something like Linda's. I'm impressed that Chef Arne could make them, but I think that experience is key to success. I'm not sure why a ball pancake is preferable, but I do want to try some!

Lars