W is for Waffles

Since I bought my waffle iron last July, it spent the last 7 months sitting on a shelf collecting dust. Not exactly my intention when I paid for it… So when “W” rolled around, I figured it was high time to take the waffle iron out of the box and put it to use.   

Growing up as a kid, I helped my mom make waffles once a week on our ancient waffle iron. (It was so old that the outside was pure metal!) After the very scarring experience when it started smoking and our fire alarm began blaring, we gave Mom a new one as a birthday gift so we could continue making our weekly waffles. So that meant that according to my rules, I needed to write my own recipe.

I briefly scanned multiple waffle recipes to check their general ingredients and ratios before scribbling my own on a post-it note. I tweaked it as I went, adding a little extra melted butter and vanilla until the batter satisfied my taste buds.

Despite it being my waffle iron’s first batch of waffles, they turned out delicious! Slightly sweeter than my childhood waffles, but oh-so-yummy that I just had to eat the first one straight off the griddle without even setting it down on a plate!

Waffles

makes 6-8 waffle squares

This is a very basic waffle recipe that can easily be embellished to fit your tastes. Add spices, fruit, or even chocolate chips for an extra-special waffle! Top with butter, syrup, powdered sugar, chopped fruit, or anything else you can think of.

1¼ c. flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tbsp white sugar

½ tbsp brown sugar

¼ tsp salt

1 egg, separated

1½ tbsp oil or butter, melted and cooled

1 c. milk (2% or skim)

½ tbsp vanilla

1. Preheat waffle iron. If serving multiple people, preheat the oven to 150° to keep waffles warm while the others cook.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour through salt.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolk, melted butter, milk, and vanilla. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until almost all of the lumps are gone.
4. In a clean, dry bowl, mix egg white until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into waffle batter.
5. Once waffle iron is hot, pour about ⅓ c. of the batter into the center of each square. Close the lid and cook according to your waffle iron’s directions. (Typically, it’ll take 2-4 minutes, although times do vary.) Serve immediately, or place in the preheated oven until all waffle batter has been used.