Baconskivers! (Bacon Ebelskivers)

After I got my hands on an ebelskiver pan, I looked for fun recipes to try. It's easy to be inventive with various fillings once you have base to play with. I came across this great cinnamon bun recipe. Keeping in the playful spirit, we decided to make this recipe and threw in some crumbled bacon as the pancakes were cooking and then a bit more on top of the icing. The result was a magical savory/sweet combo that has turned into a household ritual among family and friends. Check it out and leave a comment to tell me what else you tried!

Ingredients:

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
Bacon, bacon, bacon! Cooked and crumbled.

For the cream cheese frosting:
3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 Tbs. milk

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

Directions:
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.

To make the cream cheese frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar, reduce the speed to low and beat until combined, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 3 Tbs. of the milk and beat until combined, about 1 minute. The frosting should be thick but still pourable; add more milk if needed to thin it. Transfer the frosting to a small bowl; set aside.

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.

Drizzle the pancakes with the frosting and serve immediately. Makes 35 to 40.

**Original recipe attribution here.**

Before you get started cooking the ebelskivers, cook the bacon until it's nice and crispy. If you're anywhere near San Francisco or Napa, I highly recommend the Fatted Calf. Their bacon is out of this world! And they're super nice folks, which just enhances the whole bacon experience.

Using the magic ebelskiver pan, fill each divot with batter until it's just under the level of the pan's top and allow the bottoms to brown. Use this time to fill the middle with the cooked, crumbled bacon and the cinnamony goodness. Add more batter to cover over the filling (but just a bit! less than the bottom half) and flip the globe shaped around.

I found chopsticks are the easiest way to turn these lil' guys in order to cook the other sides. Just see what works best for you!

Cook any remaining bacon for a side and continue to crank out your ebelskivers until you run out of batter.

Have a blast with these little guys! I recommend mixing these as part of a larger brunch - eggs, a little mixed green salad, some grilled veggies.

What else have you tried in ebelskivers?

Enjoy your baconskivers!