It’s Fall outside and though the leaves haven’t quite all changed as of yet, it’s still beautiful to me…
Everything is still so new in our home that I haven’t quite gotten into a rhythm yet with my cooking; though I have kept busy cooking some oldies but goodies, such as my yummy Vodka sauce and delish Chicken Parm’…
Instead, this morning, I decided to try something I haven’t done in a while—that being, of course, some unbelievably scrumptious “Æbelskivers”
These little, almost munchkin like, treats are actually a small stuffed Danish pancake—traditionally they were filled with bits of apple, or applesauce, leading them to be called appleskivers at times…
Me though, I have an overriding need to experiment and play around with any recipe no matter how simple it might be; and what can be simpler then pancakes, really…
So not only did I decide to use this wonderful sugar free (low carb) pancake mix by “Maple Grove Farms of Vermont“—but I also subbed out the oil, and one egg, for a couple of heaping tablespoons full of applesauce instead…
Now you might be thinking, why cut some carby corners with the batter; well let me tell you, it was so I wouldn’t feel to bad about filling these delicious little devils with a nice amount of chocolate chip cannoli cream…
Oh my goodness—they were so incredibly tasty, much more so then your average breakfast (but not so crazy as to be a full blown dessert), though the line was more then a little blurry…
Such a great treat on this bright, brisk and beautiful Fall morning—and oh so Definitely Delish….
“Æbelskivers with Cannoli filling”
Ingredients:
Æbelskiver:
1 cup dry pancake mix (I used Maple Grove Farms Sugar Free mix)
1/3 cup +3 tablespoons Water
3 heaping tablespoons Applesauce
1 Egg (plus 1 white, optional)
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon Sugar
Cannoli Cream:
1 pound Ricotta cheese
3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips
Other:
Æbelskiver pan
Cooking spray
Cheesecloth
Pastry bag
Powdered Sugar for dusting
Directions:
Cannoli Cream:
1. Place ricotta cheese into a piece of folded cheesecloth, and wrap tightly, placing it into a colander in a bowl with a plate and heavy weight on top (I usually use a 32 ounce can of tomatoes). Drain for an hour at least or overnight (in a pinch you can squeeze and twist the cheesecloth, and wrap it in paper towels to try and dry the cheese out quickly but your cannoli cream will be a little softer then usual—though still tasty)…
2. Dump the ricotta into a bowl, adding powdered sugar and vanilla—then use a hand mixer until it’s blended fully together…
3. Add in desired amount of mini chips and mix—then place cannoli cream inside pastry bag and place in freezer while working on batter…
Æbelskivers:
1. Add dry mix, cinnamon sugar, vanilla extract, applesauce, egg and water to bowl—mix vigorously with a whisk (add extra egg white or extra water) till a smooth batter forms….
2. Heat an Æbelskiver pan over medium heat and spray with some cooking spray, then add a tablespoon or so of your batter to each indentation…
3. While they begin cooking; remove the pastry bag of cannoli cream from the freezer and as the batter begins to set, squeeze out a nice amount of the cannoli cream into the center of each one…
4. After that add a little more batter on top of each Æbelskiver, and prepare to flip each one over using a spoon or two (this can be a little tricky at times)
5. Continue for a minute or two more until they are fully cooked and remove them to a warm plate (in a low heated oven to keep them warm) and continue with making more until all of the batter is used up…
6. Plate them and dust with powdered sugar; you can also serve them with a dollop of whipped cream as well, if desired…
(Just like pancakes, they’re quick to make once you have the batter ready and the fillings are really only restricted by your imagination)