Archive for: waffles
I like my waffles to be nice and fluffy, with a crisp exterior and a moist interior. I think that this texture is the best for holding up to melted butter and maple syrup. That said, there are times when a heartier waffle is a good choice, as it is on a chilly spring morning when you want something satisfying to start your day. Or just for the variety and a change of pace.
I don’t usually put nuts in my waffles, so these Toasted Almond Waffles are definitely a chance of pace. They’re nice and nutty, with a good overall flavor and texture to them. There is oatmeal and almond meal – a.k.a. ground almonds – in the waffle batter. Both contribute to the nutty flavor. Having a lot of ground almonds alone could make the waffles a little dense, but this small amount doesn’t make them too heavy. I also chopped up some toasted almonds and mixed them into the batter, for texture and flavor. That little crunch you get when you take a bite is great!
These waffles will cook up just like any other waffle you put through your waffle iron, although you will need a waffle iron to make these. Serve with a sprinkling of toasted almonds and powdered sugar, or drizzle them with syrup and melted butter.
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A big container of fresh blueberries sitting on the counter is just asking to be used in a recipe. I like blueberries in all kinds of desserts and baked goods, but I have to admit that breakfast foods usually spring to mind when I think about using them. Blueberry muffins, coffee cakes and pancakes are all classics in my book – so for a little bit of a change while staying in the breakfast mindset, I opted to make some Fresh Blueberry Waffles.
These light, buttermilk waffles have fresh blueberries cooked right into them. They are tender and moist, with a good buttery flavor to them that sets off the blueberries very well. They are not very sweet on their own, despite the inclusion of the berries, which means that you can indulge yourself with as much maple syrup as you like when you sit down to enjoy a big plateful. Stick with fresh blueberries if you can, because frozen berries will add a lot of extra moisture to your waffles and could make them a bit too moist in the center as they defrost during cooking.
The only potential drawback to using whole, fresh berries is that they can – and will – pop while your waffle is cooking. A good, thick batter will definitely help to contain them, but I would opt for using a regular waffle iron (shallow squares) rather than a Belgian-style waffle iron with big, deep squares that leave you with shallow walls that won’t hold the berries together quite as well. Also, make sure that your waffle iron is well-greased so that any popped berries will still release cleanly with the rest of the waffle when it is ready.
These freeze well and can be reheated by defrosting them in the microwave, then putting them in a 350F oven for about 5 minutes to let them crisp up again.
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Sometimes you don’t know what you’re missing until it’s gone, and I have to say that the recent coverage of an impending shortage of Kellogg’s Eggo waffles due to manufacturing plant closures is enough to make me want to run out and buy a box. But instead I’m going to do what I usually do with waffles: make my own and freeze them. All you need to have is a waffle iron in order to make waffles and the batter is really no more difficult to whip up than the batter for pancakes. Most, if not all, waffle recipes can be frozen easily and will reheat in not much more time than it takes to toast that Eggo.
While you can use any style of waffle iron when making frozen waffles, it helps to have a waffle iron that makes flatter waffles, since Belgian-style waffles will not always fit easily into a standard toaster. Allow your waffles to cool completely on a wire rack after cooking, then layer them between sheets of wax paper and stick them into a large Ziploc freezer bag. Once the waffles are frozen, they can be removed one at a time and put into the toaster (or a toaster oven) to crisp up. Since Eggo waffles are very light, remember that homemade waffles may take a little extra time in the toaster to be ready. If you’re doing Belgian waffles and can’t fit them in a toaster, you can also reheat them in a preheated oven at 350F for about 10 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the waffle.
Old Mother Mallard’s Delicious Golden Brown Waffles, a recipe I made based on a Donald Duck cartoon, freeze very well, and so do my Belgian Waffles when cooked in a flatter waffle iron. Buttermilk waffles are always a good choice, as well.
It’s a few days too late for Pancake Day, but since I’m willing to make pancakes for breakfast just about any day of the year, Nordicware’s Waffle Pancake Pan is still worth a mention. This pan is made of heavy cast aluminum and is molded to have seven pancake-sized impressions in its surface. It works in basically the same way that an aebleskiver pan does: batter is poured into each one of the depressions, which embeds waffle marks into the pancake batter poured into it, and then it is flipped over to do the same to the other side.
The resulting pancakes are very cute and the waffle marks are great for catching syrup and butter, holding all that extra flavor on the pancakes. They’re not going to replace regular waffles, but it is a little bit easier to pull this out in the morning and make a stack of waffle-pancakes than it is to get out the waffle iron and have to clean it up later.
Glance down the syrup aisle at the grocery store and you’re likely to see what seems like a sea of options for syrups. There are tons of “pancake syrups” as well as real maple syrups to choose from. Pancake syrups are usually flavored corn syrup – not the real deal in terms of flavor or consistency, and usually not worth the price even if they’re on sale. Maple syrup is all natural and possesses lots of that maple flavor that the pancake syrups try so hard to imitate.
There are two varieties of maple syrup to choose from, USDA Grade A and Grade B. Grade A is the most popular, with a light maple flavor and a relatively thin consistency. It’s a good choice for pancakes, and can make a great topping for desserts and other foods. Grade A is usually made from the maple sap collected at the beginning of the mapling season.
Grade B maple syrup is much darker and has a stronger flavor. It also is a bit thicker, tending towards the consistency of pancake syrup rather than the runnier Grade A. Grade B is often recommended for baking because its stronger flavor comes through more readily, but it can be a better choice for pancakes or waffles than Grade A if you, like me, are a fan of the flavor of maple in general. The two are interchangeable as far as what will work in a recipe that calls for maple syrup. For those of you looking for Grade C maple syrup, it is now called Grade B. In other words, Grade B & C are the same.
