Ahh… waffles. I’ve never been a lover of pancakes, but I am certainly a waffle convert now. It all started with the waffles Matt’s mom always makes us when we visit his family in Vermont. The smell of waffles now evokes memories of cozy holidays and relaxing vacations in a picturesque environment.
So it was only fitting that Matt’s folks sent us the BEST WAFFLE IRON EVER for Christmas!
This shiny piece of machinery is like the Cadillac of waffle irons. So far, I’ve only used it to make waffles, but it came with reversible grill/griddle plates and waffle plates AND opens up flat. I guess this is where I should mentioned that this is NOT a sponsored post. I wish Cuisinart would send me free stuff to review! Cuisinart, if you are reading, I could really use a stand mixer 😉 But seriously, I just get really excited about appliances and this thing kicks ass.
Another great thing about waffles is that the ingredients are so simple. I have used this waffle iron several times now, each time with ingredients I already had. Since we never have milk in the house, I make buttermilk by adding cider vinegar to rice milk. It totally works. The waffles cook up just like they would with real buttermilk and the cider vinegar adds just the right amount of “buttermilk” flavor.
“BUTTERMILK” BANANA NUT WAFFLES– adapted from Joy the Baker’s Banana Nut Waffle Recipe
Ingredients:
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups rice milk
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 mashed banana
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preparation:
Preheat your waffle iron per it’s instructions. Mine says to set it at 400 degrees on the griddle setting.
In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and brown sugar and whisk together.
Measure out rice milk and stir in cider vinegar to make fake “buttermilk”.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, canola oil, vanilla, rice milk mixture, mashed banana and walnuts and whisk together.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet mixture to it. Fold in ingredients with a spatula until just combined. There will be lumps, just make sure there are no dry patches of flour.
Cook on your waffle iron according to your waffle iron’s instructions. I like to use a little spray oil on mine to prevent sticking.
This recipe makes a LOT of waffles, so would be great for having people over for a weekend brunch. We’ve just been freezing our leftovers and popping em’ in the toaster for quick weekday breakfasts.
Matt’s folk are also really good about making sure we don’t run out of real Vermont maple syrup and always either send us home with some, or bring some to us, when they visit us. So even in rainy Seattle, we can still have a little Vermont with our waffles.
Matt and I have also discovered that waffles are best served with vinyl…playing on the record player that is. New tradition perhaps?
Great post! The pics are TOO good… I can’t get through the whole post without drooling all over myself like Homer Simpson. MMMMMM. Waffles.
Home is where the waffles are made. Great colors in your photography, really add a sensory element to your blog!
Kimberlee! How are you lady? Thanks for reading! Our waffles are pretty darn good, but they still don’t compare to the ones Betty makes. When are we going to meet back there for some real Vermont waffles?