Literally translated from Dutch to English poffertjes means fritter. These little cakes get their name from the Dutch word meaning to puff up like popcorn or popovers. This is a tasty Dutch treat served traditionally with butter on top, and a generous sprinkling of powdered sugar. However, there is no reason to stop there because preserves, whipped cream, fresh fruit, liqueurs and ice cream are good too. These fritters ( we think pancake) are usually served as an afternoon snack.
Poffertjes are cooked in a special cast iron pan with many small indentations. I think our Dutch American ancestors forgot to bring the pan with them on their journey across the Atlantic. As a result, the Dutch improvised and the American pancake was born! Seriously, to get the airy, puffy look, it is going to require the special pan.Ingredients:
Note: I used a metric conversion table
3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups buckwheat flour
1 cup lukewarm milk
2-teaspoons yeast
2 -Tablespoons corn syrup
Pinch salt
4-1/2 Tablespoons melted butter
Powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Dissolve the yeast in a small portion of the milk.
2. Sift all the flour with the salt, make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture.
3. Stir from the center, slowly adding the remaining milk followed by the beaten egg and syrup.
4. Leave the mixture to rise about for an hour in a warm place
5. Heat the “special” pan on high heat, butter each cup and pour in a small amount of the mixture, filling about half-way.
6. Cook till the poffertjes are golden and dry on the bottom.
7. Turn them ( with a small fork or toothpick) and the cook the other side.
8. A poffertjes pan usually makes about a dozen, enough for one person.
note: I love #8 above!
9. Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar and put a small pat of butter on top of the poffertjes.
10. Serve hot.
These tiny Dutch fritters is a treat not to be missed!
Tomatoes on the Vine 
Cute! The pan alone is enough to make me want to make these. And they don't sound like they taste too shabby, either… 😀 YUM!
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hey it's interesting …first when i saw this i thought the preparation looks like a parsi dish here..( parsis are the Zoroastrians , living mostly in the city of Mumbai here), but when i read the name of the dish ……found that it's the same ….the name has changed to popatji here…lolz…….interesting …….and they have actually a similar pan too available here…….
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Looks fascinating.
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These are so cute and yummy! I love buckwheat in recipes like this!
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Aren't these like ebleskever? Danish pancakes? When we lived in North Dakota, a lot of people made these, filled with jam. Delish!
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Ooops, I think it's spelled ebleskiver…
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Mmm… these look like such delicious little treats! Can't wait to try them!
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Wow! That really looks and sounds delicious!
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I agree with the TKW and TheKitchenWitch….these do look alot like Ebleskivers. But regardless of what name you call them, they taste great!
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Yes, these pancakes are very similar to the Danish treats ebleskiver. Gosh, they are delicious!
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Ok. My kids have been begging me to buy a pan like yours so I can make them all the tasty treats they see advertised on tv or in my Williams Sonoma catalog. After reading this post it looks like I'm going to have to break down and get one. You make it look tooooo yummy!
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these are so cute! they would be perfect for a potluck brunch. do you think you could substitute agave nectar for the corn syrup? gotta go find a pan.
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This is a new one to me. It sounds really good.
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definitely going to give this a go…great images. Love the cultural aspect to the recipe.
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