This recipe for filled pancakes, also known as Ebelskivers, showcases a butter Bananas Foster filling. They are the perfect way to put a little "hygge" into your weekend brunch. Hello little Bananas Foster Ebelskivers, little puffed pancakes of my Saturday morning dreams. These little Scandanavian pancakes are so tasty and allow for a wide variety of filling options. You can go sweet or savory. Either way, you will enjoy these.
This past weekend I found myself in dire need of a slow, lazy morning breakfast with lots of hot coffee and some other-worldly confection that would ease me into a new week with a lingering feeling of coziness. Sounds nice, right? This was made possible in part by Ryan, who has been begging urging me to make Ebelskivers for, oh, several months now. Ebel what???? I know. It's a strange-looking word and sounds stranger than it looks. Let's have a little vocab lesson:
Ebelskiver (pronounced "able-skeever") - pancake puff. Originated from Denmark and traditionally served as snacks or desserts during the holidays or celebrations. The perfect breakfast addition to a morning of practicing hygge.
Hygge (prounounced "hue-gah") - a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being. Regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture: "why not follow the Danish example and bring more hygge into your daily life?"
Thankfully, in the midst of a busy weekend filled with hosting 13 of Ryan's sports nutrition interns for dinner, attending a baby shower, going to a Mizzou basketball game, and church, we were able to fit our cozy hygge breakfast in with a little time to spare. So we took pictures of the process! It's great to have a kitchen partner - you get so much more done!
Ebelskivers are the perfect breakfast dish to make with a buddy or two. One person can make the filling while the other works on the batter. One person fills the pancake wells with batter while the other person follows with the filling. You get the picture! That was us - all accomplished while sipping our favorite Texas Pecan coffee and listening to the lovely La La Land soundtrack. *Sigh* I'm so thankful for weekend mornings like this! It's not only good self-care but good soul care. Do you know what I mean?
The bananas foster filling was chosen primarily because Fat Tuesday is coming up, so I wanted to get in on some good New Orleans flavor all up in my filled pancakes. It was a decision I do not regret. In the least. I'm already thinking about when I'll have time to make them again....
If you'd like to make your own pillowy clouds of puffed pancake goodness to enjoy during a cozy morning, you're going to need the following special tools (affiliate links below):
- An ebelskiver or filled pancake pan
- Ebelskiver recipes (Use mine below, check out this cookbook, or see these lovely versions from Williams Sonoma)
Did you make this recipe? If so, I'd love to hear how it turned out for you! You can follow the once per week newsletter for more recipes like these Ebelskivers. Leave a comment below, or upload a picture of your creation to Instagram or Twitter with the tag @Sweetcayenne5!
Recipe
Bananas Foster Ebelskivers
Ingredients
For the bananas foster filling:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 medium bananas diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon rum or bourbon optional
For the ebelskiver batter:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs yolk and whites separated into two separate bowls
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled, plus about 2 tablespoons extra for coating the pancake pan
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional toppings:
- Maple syrup
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
To make the bananas foster filling:
- Begin by making your bananas foster filling. In a small skillet, combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon over medium heat. Stir to combine as the butter melts. Once the butter has melted, add the diced bananas. Cook over medium low heat until the bananas are soft and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and add the rum/bourbon. Stir to combine. Keep the filling mixture warm over low heat while you make the pancake batter.
Making the ebelskiver batter:
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt by stirring with a whisk. Set aside. In a smaller bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the egg yolks, milk, cooled butter, and vanilla extract with a whisk. Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until well blended.
- In a clean, medium-size bowl, use an electric mixer on high speed to whip the egg whites until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter mixture just until no white streaks remain. Use the batter right away.
Making the ebelskivers:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Place a baking sheet on a rack in the center of the oven. Place the ebelskiver pan over medium heat. You will know it is hot enough when butter sizzles on contact.
- To make the pancakes, brush some melted butter in the bottom of each well in the pan. Place 1 tablespoon of the pancake batter into each well, followed by 1 teaspoon of the bananas foster filling, and then topped off with another tablespoon of pancake batter.
- Cook the pancakes for 2-3 minutes until they are golden brown underneath. Use a small spatula or two wooden skewers to carefully flip them over. Cook an additional 30-60 seconds or until golden on both sides. Open the oven and use the pan’s handle to flip the pancakes out onto the baking sheet to keep warm. Repeat this process until you have cooked all of the batter.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and serve the ebelskivers right away. Use any remaining bananas foster filling to serve on top of the pancakes, along with a sprinkling of powdered sugar or a drizzle of maple syrup.
- Pancakes will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and can be reheated at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
- Cook the pancakes for 2-3 minutes until they are golden brown underneath. Use a small spatula or two wooden skewers to carefully flip them over. Cook an additional 30-60 seconds or until golden on both sides. Open the oven and use the pan’s handle to flip the pancakes out onto the baking sheet to keep warm. Repeat this process until you have cooked all of the batter.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and serve the ebelskivers right away. Use any remaining bananas foster filling to serve on top of the pancakes, along with a sprinkling of powdered sugar or a drizzle of maple syrup.
- Pancakes will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and can be reheated at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
- Cook the pancakes for 2-3 minutes until they are golden brown underneath. Use a small spatula or two wooden skewers to carefully flip them over. Cook an additional 30-60 seconds or until golden on both sides. Open the oven and use the pan’s handle to flip the pancakes out onto the baking sheet to keep warm. Repeat this process until you have cooked all of the batter.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and serve the ebelskivers right away. Use any remaining bananas foster filling to serve on top of the pancakes, along with a sprinkling of powdered sugar or a drizzle of maple syrup.
- Pancakes will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and can be reheated at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
