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    Krabbelurer over an open fire – plenty of fat, low over the embers and cinnamon sugar

    Plenty of fat, low over the embers and the sugar once they've cooled a little

    • 4 servings
    • Time: 10 min at home + 30–45 min for the embers + about 25 min in the pan
    • Difficulty: Easy
    • 11 ingredients
    • 18 steps
    To the recipe
    Small, thick pancakes with a light brown fried surface cooking in a steel frying pan.
    Photo: jules, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

    The pan is sitting steadily on the grill and the butter has stopped foaming. One spoonful of batter at a time, plop, plop, plop, until there are six small round cakes in the pan, slowly puffing up and getting little holes on top. A little way off, the children are sitting by a stump with a bowl of cinnamon sugar, waiting to shout "now!".

    Krabbelurer are small, thick Swedish pancakes with baking powder in the batter, somewhere between a pancake and a sponge cake, usually rolled in cinnamon sugar. In most Swedish recipes they're dolloped into a frying pan or a plättlagg (a Swedish pan with small round hollows) with butter and then tossed in sugar and cinnamon. So at heart they're not deep-fried food, even though some recipes, Norwegian ones among them, deep-fry them. By the fire it's exactly the right choice, too, and here's why.

    Method

    1. Light the fire in good time and let it burn down to even embers. Allow 30–45 minutes. How to get it going quickly is explained in lighting a fire step by step.
    2. Decide where the pan will go and where the sugar will go before you start. The pan sits low and steady on the grill or the stones. The sugar station goes a little way off, on a stump or a table the children can sit at without walking past the fire.
    3. Put the lid next to the pan, where you can reach it with one hand. Wipe the pan, ladle and spatula so that everything is dry.
    4. Stir the baking powder into the bag of dry ingredients and give it a shake. Pour the wet ingredients into a bowl, or shake them in the bottle, and whisk in the dry ones a little at a time to make a thick, smooth batter that runs slowly off the spoon. Let it rest while the pan heats up.
    5. Set the pan over the embers and let it heat for a couple of minutes. Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil.
    6. Do the drop test. Drop a small blob of batter into the fat. If it sizzles gently and browns in about a minute, the heat is right. If it just sits there quietly, the pan is too cold. If the fat is smoking, lift the pan off the embers for a while.
    7. Dollop in the batter with a tablespoon or squeeze bottle, about one and a half tablespoons per krabbelur. Space them out a little, five to seven at a time, so they don't run into each other.
    8. Let them fry for about two minutes, until the top has small holes and the edge looks matt. Turn them with the spatula and fry the other side for about one and a half to two minutes.
    9. Lift them onto a plate or some kitchen roll. Let them cool for a little while, about a minute, before they move on to the sugar station.
    10. Wipe crumbs out of the pan with kitchen roll held in tongs if needed, add a little more butter and oil and fry the next batch. Turn the pan a quarter turn now and then, so the same side isn't always over the hottest embers.
    11. When the last batch is done, lift the pan off the embers with fire gloves and put it on a flat stone where nobody walks. Leave it with the fat still in it until it has cooled completely, and allow at least half an hour for cast iron.

    How to tell the krabbelurer are done

    1. The top has small holes that don't fill in again before you turn them.
    2. The colour is golden brown on both sides, not dark brown. A dark outside and a gooey inside mean the pan is too hot.
    3. The thickest one springs back when you press it.
    4. Break the first one open. The inside should be airy and dry, with no raw batter in the middle. If it's gooey, turn down the heat and fry the next batch a little longer on each side.

    How to deal with the fat

    1. The fat goes home with you, and it must never end up in nature.

    2. Not in the fire. Fat poured onto the embers flares up and can spit.
    3. Not in the snow, on the ground or in the lake. It breaks down slowly and attracts animals to the fire site.
    4. Not down the drain at home. Fat sets in the pipes and blocks them.

    5. Here's what to do instead. Let the pan cool completely. Wipe out most of the fat with kitchen roll and put the paper in a sealed bag or jar that goes home with you to the food waste. If there's more fat than the paper can soak up, pour the cooled fat into a sealed, burnable container, such as a milk carton or a plastic bottle, and screw the lid on. The rules for where the container should be thrown away vary between local councils, so follow what applies where you live. Used fat can take less heat before it smokes, so don't save it for next time. How to wash and dry the pan outdoors is explained in hygiene and washing up outdoors, and how to look after the cast iron afterwards in the guide to cast iron.

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    It makes about 25 krabbelurer, depending on how big the dollops are.

    Why a pan and not a deep fryer

    Deep-frying means several centimetres of oil in a deep pot, heated to about 170–180 degrees. At home on the hob you can control that with a dial and a thermometer. Over an open fire it's a different matter.

    • You can't turn the heat down. Embers get hotter and cooler without asking, and oil that gets too hot starts to smoke and can eventually catch fire.
    • A pot tipping over is the worst thing that can happen. Litres of hot oil over the ground, over feet and straight into the embers, where it flares up. Around a fireplace there are children, stones that shift and people walking past.
    • Water and hot oil don't mix. A drop of water, a wet ladle or a little snow in a pot of frying oil makes the oil boil up and spit. Outdoors it rains, it snows, and there are cups of water standing nearby.
    • Old oil becomes a problem. A litre of used frying oil has to be carried home, and it can never be poured out in nature.

    With a thin layer of fat in a pan, the krabbelurer turn out just as they should, and if something goes wrong it's a few tablespoons of fat, not a whole pot. That's why we make them this way by the fire. If you still want to try deep-fried ones, do it at home in the kitchen with a thermometer and a lid, not by a campfire.

    Thin, low, cool

    Remember three words and you have the whole recipe.

    • Thin. Only enough fat to cover the bottom, a few millimetres. Top up a little at a time between batches.
    • Low. The pan sits level and steady, low over even embers, never up on a high fireplace, stacked logs or wobbly stones. How to arrange the embers so the pan gets even heat is explained in the guide to griddle and frying pan over a fire.
    • Gentle. The krabbelurer get to cool for a little while before the children roll them in the sugar. The pan and the fat get to cool for a long time before anyone touches them.

    Safety at the pan

    Lid close at hand. Keep the lid within reach the whole time, not in the rucksack. If the fat in the pan catches fire: put the lid on and leave it there. Never pour water on burning fat, and never throw snow on it. The water turns to steam instantly and can throw burning fat into the air. Don't try to carry a burning pan. Leave the lid on until the pan has cooled down.

    Keep the pan dry. No water, no snow and no wet utensils in the fat. Dry the ladle and spatula, and never leave a cup of water where it could tip over towards the pan. A wet dollop causes spatter, and spatter on hands and faces is the most common burn at a pan.

    Children at a distance from the pan. Set a boundary around the fire site, about two steps behind the person frying, that the children don't cross. It's the adult who fries, turns and lifts the pan. More about a safe zone around the fire can be found in fire safety in nature.

    Take the pan off the fire when you're done. Don't leave it over the embers with fat in it while you eat. Put it on a flat stone and let the fat cool for a long time, ideally with the lid on. Iron that has been over embers stays hot long after the fat has stopped sizzling.

    If someone burns themselves: cool with cool water for about a quarter of an hour, no longer, and never with ice or snow. Seek medical care if the blisters cover an area larger than the injured person's own hand, if the burn is on the face or hands, and always if the child is one year old or younger.

    Don't taste raw batter. That goes for adults and children alike, even if the eggs are Swedish. Flour isn't heat-treated and can carry bacteria, including EHEC. No Swedish cases are known, but outbreaks in North America have been linked to flour and unbaked cookie dough, and the batter only becomes safe once the krabbelurer are cooked through. This applies especially to young children. Give the children a finished krabbelur each instead, and wash your hands after handling the flour.

    The eggs. Eggs from Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark are fine to bake with, because salmonella is very rare in them. Eggs from other countries should not be eaten raw. In a krabbelur that's cooked through they pose no risk, but it's one more reason to leave the batter alone. More about eggs outdoors can be found in boiled eggs over a fire.

    The fire. Check whether there's a fire ban before you light up. It's the county administrative board's or the municipality's decision that counts, and the rules are in lighting fires outdoors.

    Allergens: the krabbelurer contain egg, milk and wheat. The milk and butter can be swapped for plant-based alternatives, and you can use a gluten-free flour mix, but then they often turn out a little denser.

    At home and by the fire

    Dry in a bag, wet in a bottle. Measure the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar and salt into a sealed bag at home, and put the baking powder in its own small bag inside. The eggs, milk and melted butter can be shaken together in a sealed bottle. Mix the cinnamon sugar in a jar with a lid, so it can be shaken up again by the fire.

    The whole batter in a squeeze bottle. If you'd rather skip the mixing bowl, you can mix the whole batter at home and pour it into a clean squeeze bottle with a wide nozzle. It makes it easy to pipe even dollops, with no mess. The baking powder starts working as soon as the batter gets wet, so the krabbelurer get a little flatter the longer the batter stands. Ideally, fry them the same day.

    The cool box. Eggs, milk and butter are chilled foods, and so is ready-made batter. On a warm day they mustn't be left out for more than two hours at most, and never in the sun. Pack the bottle in the cool box and take it out when the pan is hot.

    By the fire. Light the fire before anything else. While it burns down, set up the sugar station, put out the lid, spatula and kitchen roll, and mix the batter. A saucepan of warm apple juice or a pan of kokkaffe (boiled coffee) can sit at the edge of the embers while the krabbelurer are frying.

    Krabbelurer with children

    Krabbelurer are one of the best things to make by the fire with children, because most of the fun happens well away from the pan. The ages are a rough guide. Go by your child's experience and maturity.

    • The sugar station belongs to the children. Once the krabbelurer have cooled a little, the children roll them in the cinnamon sugar, one at a time, and put them on a plate. It's their job from start to finish, and it happens at the stump, not at the fire.
    • The youngest can mix the cinnamon sugar at home, shake the jar and keep the plate in order.
    • Slightly bigger children, often from six or seven, can whisk the batter, say when the top has got holes and count how many are left.
    • Older children can keep time and call out when it's time to turn, from their spot outside the boundary around the pan.

    An adult takes care of the pan, the fat and the turning. More ways to give the children roles by the fire can be found in cooking with children over a fire.

    Tips for krabbelurer over a fire

    • Butter and oil together. The butter gives the flavour but burns easily over embers. With an equal amount of rapeseed oil, the fat can take more heat before it smokes.
    • Thick batter. It should run slowly off the spoon. A thin batter spreads out and turns into small thin pancakes, not krabbelurer.
    • The first batch is a test. The first one is rarely the best. Adjust the heat after it.
    • Dollops the right size. Bigger krabbelurer go dark on the outside before they're done inside.
    • The cinnamon sugar sticks best when the krabbelurer are warm but not hot. If you wait too long it won't stick as well.
    • Serving with apple sauce, vanilla quark, jam or a bowl of grilled fruit.

    Common mistakes

    • Too much fat in the pan. They end up half deep-fried, spattery and harder to handle. A few millimetres is enough.
    • The pan is sitting high or wobbling. A pan up on a stack of logs or stones that shift can tip over. Set it low and level.
    • The pan is too hot. The krabbelurer go dark on the outside and gooey inside. Lift the pan off for a while or rake away some of the embers.
    • Snow or water in the fat. The fat spits. Dry the utensils and keep cups and snow away from the pan.
    • The lid is in the rucksack. Put it out before you put the pan on.
    • The children are standing by the pan, waiting. Move the waiting to the sugar station.
    • The fat is poured out at the fire site. Wipe out the pan once it has cooled and take the fat home.

    Vary the krabbelurer

    • Cardamom: swap the cinnamon in the sugar for a teaspoon of freshly ground cardamom.
    • Apple: coarsely grate a small apple and fold it into the batter. They turn out juicier and need a little longer on a lower heat.
    • Blueberries: scatter a few blueberries on each dollop as soon as it's in the pan. If you pick the berries yourselves, only take berries you know for certain.
    • Without sugar on the outside: serve them with jam and whipped cream instead, like small pancakes.
    • Bigger pancakes: the same pan and the same thin layer of fat work for ordinary pancakes with bacon and strawberry jam. More sweet things for the fire can be found under snacks and treats.

    Frequently asked questions

    Are krabbelurer deep-fried?

    Usually not. In most Swedish recipes, krabbelurer are dolloped into a frying pan or plättlagg with butter and then tossed in sugar and cinnamon. Some recipes, Norwegian ones among them, deep-fry them, but over an open fire a pot of hot oil is too risky, so here they're fried in a thin layer of fat.

    How much fat should there be in the pan?

    Only enough to cover the bottom, a few millimetres. Start with a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil and top up a little between batches. More fat than that makes them half deep-fried and spattery.

    What do you do if the fat catches fire?

    Put the lid on and leave it there. Never pour water on it and never throw snow on it, because the water turns to steam and can throw burning fat into the air. Don't try to carry the pan. That's why the lid should be out and ready the whole time.

    Can you use a plättlagg over the fire?

    Yes, if it's cast iron and sits steadily on a grill over even embers. The dollops come out the same size and nicely round. Turn it now and then, because the hollows at the edge are often cooler than the ones in the middle.

    What do you do with the fat afterwards?

    Let the pan cool completely, wipe out the fat with kitchen roll and take the paper home in a sealed bag for the food waste. Larger amounts go into a sealed, burnable container, and your local council decides where it should be thrown away. Never pour the fat into the fire, out in nature or down the drain.

    More guides and recipes to read

    More good things from the pan

    Finding the right heat in the pan

    Where the embers should go, what the fat looks like when it's just hot enough, and which fats take the most heat before they smoke.

    To the griddle guide

    Warm apple juice with the krabbelurer

    A saucepan of apple juice at the edge of the embers while the first batch fries, so the children have something warm to drink with the sugar.

    To the apple juice

    Give the children their own jobs by the fire

    The sugar bowl is a good start. More ways to let the children join in by the fire, by age and experience, and where the boundary goes.

    To campfire cooking with children