Pancake Week #5 Crunchy Cinnamon Ebelskivers

As some of you may know, ebelskivers (pronounced ABLE-SKEEVERS) are tasty little sphere-shaped pancakes traditional to Denmark. They can be sweet or savory, solid or filled with something yummy. And since I just happened to get my very own special seven-welled ebelskiver pan for my birthday, I am making this one exception to traditional flat griddle cakes for pancake week.
There aren't a lot of ebelskiver cookbooks out there; in fact, there's only one widely available - it's by Kevin Crafts and it's really all one could ever need, with over 40 recipes from honey-glazed buttermilk ebelskivers to smoked salmon & dill ebelskivers to molten chocolate ebelskivers and everything in between (like fig & prosciutto.)

These were the first ones I made in my new pan. The "crunchy" comes from cooking a bit of brown sugar and butter in the wells before adding the cinnamon batter; it hardens up just enough to be crunchy but not burnt. They were sweet & spicy three-bite delights, just perfect for the spontaneous Saturday morning tea party I made them for.
Crunchy Cinnamon Ebelskivers (print recipe)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs, separated
1 cup whole milk
3 T unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, divided
3 1/2 T light brown sugar

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and 2 T melted butter. Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture and, using a wooden spoon, stir until well blended. The batter will be lumpy.

2. In a clean bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. Using a silicone spatula, fold about one-third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then fold in the rest just until no white streaks remain.

3. Brush the wells of the ebelskiver pan with some of the remaining 1 T melted butter and place over medium heat. Working quickly, put 1/2 tsp of the brown sugar in each well and cook until the sugar melts and turns dark and syrupy, 3-5 minutes. Add about 3 T batter to each well.

4. Cook until the bottoms of the pancakes are lightly browned and crisp, 3-5 minutes. Use 2 short wooden skewers to turn all the pancakes and cook until lightly browned on the second side, about 3 minutes longer.

5. Transfer the finished pancakes to a platter, let cool for 5 minutes, and serve slightly warm. Repeat to make 2 more batches, cooling each batch for 5 minutes before serving. Makes 21 pancakes, 4 to 7 servings
Recipe from Ebelskivers: Danish-style filled pancakes and other sweet and savory treats by Kevin Crafts