These little balls of jolly are paniyarams’ NRI cousins. They are everything you want in a pick-me-up snack in the middle of a long day, and a great way to use up pancake batter. If you’ve ever hesitated to buy a paniyaram pan like I have, because buying a single use utensil in a space-challenged apartment feels silly, I feel like this dish makes a compelling case for getting that pan anyway. Also, a friend says paniyaram pans are great for making meatballs. So that’s 3 things you can make! You’re welcome.

Anyway, I have a story about this Nutella Aebleskiver. When mum first made it at home, several years ago, she woke me up from a nap to stuff one of these into my mouth. They were so incredibly delicious — soft and slightly crisp on the outside, with warm nutella oozing out, and I actually asked her how she made them (they seemed like magic to me), and she said she would take the recipe to her grave. Ha.

And in case you’re wondering why these nutella paniyarams have a fancy name, it’s because they are Danish.

Recipe: Nutella Aebleskiver

Ingredients
1 cup Nutella
1 large egg (or 2 small ones)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp oil
3/4 cup buttermilk (or add 1 tbsp lime juice to 3/4 cup milk and set aside for a few minutes)
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
Oil for frying

Method
Sieve the flour along with the baking powder and set aside.
Separate the egg and beat the egg white stiff.
To the egg yolk, add the sugar, 1 tbsp oil, and buttermilk.
Next add in flour + baking powder and mix to combine with your hand mixer.
Lastly, gently fold in the egg whites.
Pour oil into all the moulds and when hot, pour 1-1.5 tbsp into each mould. Give it 2-3 minutes, and carefully flip it over (as you would with paniyaram), and let it cook until it becomes golden-brown.
To a piping bag with a narrow nozzle, add the Nutella. You can also just snip the corner off a ziplock bag and use as a piping bag.
Carefully pipe about a tsp (or more!) of Nutella into each aebleskiver and enjoy hot.