Waffles

Tonight I tried a different waffle recipe than the one my husband recently made. The two recipes are very similar with slightly different ingredient amounts. The only thing I changed is that I used 2 tablespoons of sugar instead of 1/4 cup, since we were eating these for dinner. I paired them with Kerrygold butter, maple syrup, fresh fruit and bacon and everyone loved them!

I weighed my flour instead of measuring it, so I left the grams measurements in this recipe. You can use either butter or oil (I recommend light olive oil over vegetable oil) in this recipe, or half of each. Using oil instead of butter will make the waffles more crispy. I used butter and they were delicious, but I will definitely experiment with the other two ways and see what we like best. It's also recommended to heat up the milk a little bit to room temperature because cold milk and melted butter don't mix well - the butter will solidify and clump up.

This made 6 waffles, which was just enough for my family of 4. The only other thing I will do differently next time is make a double recipe so we can freeze some.

Tip: Do not use sprays like Pam on your waffle maker! They make a mess and they cause more harm to the appliance than good. They leave a sticky residue that is very difficult to get off. Instead, don't use anything at all - the nonstick waffle maker shouldn't need anything other than the oil or butter that is already in the batter.

Waffles

Recipe courtesy “Preppy Kitchen” Blog

 

Try the best waffle recipe ever! Throw the no-fuss batter together in mere minutes, and then load up your perfectly crisp, tender waffles with your favorite toppings.

 

2¼ cups all-purpose flour (270g)

¼ cup granulated sugar (50g) – or as little as 2 Tablespoons

1 tablespoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

2 cups milk (480ml), room temperature

½ cup unsalted butter, melted (113g) or ½ cup light olive oil or ¼ cup of each

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Preheat the waffle iron. (If you can choose settings, I recommend a darker or higher heat setting for a crispier waffle.)

 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir together just until combined – do not over mix.

 

Add about 1/3 cup of batter for each waffle to the hot waffle iron. (The amount will depend on the size of your waffle maker so feel free to experiment with how much you add.)

 

Cook until golden brown. Place on a wire rack until ready to serve so they stay crisp. Serve hot with maple syrup and butter or your favorite toppings.

 

 

Yield: This recipe yields approximately 6-10 waffles, depending on the size of waffle maker used.

 

Notes:

Sugar. I use ¼ cup of granulated sugar, but if you want less sweetness, you can use as little as 2 tablespoons.

Use room temperature eggs if possible. This is not a make-or-break situation! If you are making this waffle recipe first thing in the morning and need to use eggs straight out of the refrigerator, your waffles will still turn out delicious! But if you have the time, set the eggs out 30 minutes to 1 hour before you start the waffles.

Weigh the flour. If you don’t feel like whipping out the kitchen scale at breakfast time, you can measure the flour right out of the bag, but give it a light fluff and spoon it into the measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. Never scoop directly into the bag. For this method, use 2 cups of flour. If you do use a kitchen scale, measure 270 grams, which is actually 2¼ cups of flour. I’ve tested this recipe countless times, and both of these methods of measuring flour yield perfect waffles.

Don’t over-mix the batter. Once the wet and dry ingredients are just incorporated, the batter is ready. It might be a little lumpy, and that’s okay! Those lumps will actually help with the fluffy texture.

For waffles that stay crisp: Place the cooked waffles on a wire rack when they’re ready. If you pile them up on a platter, they release steam and soften up. You can also warm the oven to 200°F and place the wire rack in the oven to keep the waffles warm.

Between waffles, let the waffle iron heat up again. A warm waffle maker will not give you crisp waffles: You need it screaming hot, so give it at least 30 seconds between each waffle to heat back up.

Homemade Waffles

We were given a waffle maker as a wedding gift that we have not used much in the past 10 years. We have the discontinued Waring Pro Double Waffle Maker, pictured below, which makes two 7" round Belgian waffles at a time. If you don't already have a waffle maker, a highly rated one is the Breville Smart Waffle 4 Slice, which makes four 4" square Belgian waffles at a time. There are plenty of less expensive options as well. These mini waffle tongs we were also given as a wedding gift are really helpful to get the waffles out without scratching the nonstick coating on the waffle maker.

My boys love pancakes so I usually make those instead. Waffles are delicious too, but they haven't been requested much in our house - or at least they weren't until now. One of my sons found our waffle maker yesterday morning and asked my husband to make some for breakfast. He found this waffle recipe and it was really good so I wanted to share it.

My mom still uses my grandmother's waffle recipe, which is also delicious. Her recipe uses oil along with egg whites whipped to soft peaks, so the recipe below is a little faster to make. I like softer waffles and I thought these were perfect! I topped mine with Kerrygold butter, maple syrup and fresh berries. This quickly reminded me of my freshman year at Towson University when I would frequent the Belgian waffle station in the dining hall and top my waffles with the same as above, along with some whipped cream.

My husband only made one recipe for our family of 4 which gave us just enough waffles for all of us, but I think from now on we will make a double recipe so we can freeze some leftover waffles. He set our waffle maker on setting 4 which was perfect for how I like my waffles. Keep in mind that the settings are different on every machine, so you will have to determine which setting(s) work best for you and your family. The amount of batter you should pour into your waffle maker differs depending on what you are using as well, so refer to your appliance's manual.

Tip: Do not use sprays like Pam on your waffle maker! They make a mess and they cause more harm to the appliance than good. They leave a sticky residue that is very difficult to get off. Instead, don't use anything at all - the nonstick waffle maker shouldn't need anything other than the oil or butter that is already in the batter.

This recipe was delicious and I hope we'll be making them a lot more often now!

Homemade Waffles

Recipe courtesy “The Cookie Rookie” Blog

 

Whip up a simple batter in minutes, pour it into a waffle maker, then finish your golden homemade waffles with syrup, butter, and toppings of all kinds!

 

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

¼ cup granulated sugar

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs

1¾ cups milk

¼ cup unsalted butter (½ stick), melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until combined.

 

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add in the eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Start in the center and whisk until just combined (do not over mix). A few lumps are okay.

 

Allow the waffle batter to rest for a few minutes while you heat your waffle iron to medium-high heat.

 

Add about ¾ cup of batter to your waffle iron and cook until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with toppings of choice.

 

Yield: This recipe yields approximately 4-6 waffles, depending on the size of waffle maker used.

 

Notes:

Mix the batter until just combined. Over mixing can lead to tough waffles. 

 

Lumps in the batter will actually produce a lighter waffle that rises higher.

 

Adjust your waffle iron as up and down as needed. Our waffle iron ranges in 1-5 in heat and we like setting #4.

 

If you have time, allow the waffle batter to rest for a few minutes (about 5-10 minutes) after mixing. This lets the flour hydrate and leads to fluffier waffles.

 

Don't overfill the waffle iron. Pour in just enough batter to cover the waffle grid without overflowing.

 

Don't be tempted to open the waffle iron prematurely. Wait until the waffle has had a chance to cook through to avoid tearing.

 

If you're making a batch of waffles, you can keep them warm in a 200°F oven while you finish cooking the rest.

 

Store homemade waffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Waring Pro Double Waffle Maker

Waring Pro Double Waffle Maker

Breville Smart Waffle 4 Slice

Breville Smart Waffle 4 Slice

Quick and Easy Blueberry Muffins

My sister Regina sent me this blueberry muffin recipe a few years ago and I just made them today. I was looking for a blueberry muffin recipe that uses oil instead of butter and that's what this one uses. She said out of all the blueberry muffin recipes she's tried, this one is her favorite and the only one she makes now. She's made it with both fresh and frozen blueberries and said it comes out better with fresh ones. I used fresh blueberries and the muffins were delicious! They were also very easy to make. I made a double recipe so I can freeze them for easy weekday breakfasts. Mine took about 16 minutes to bake.

Quick and Easy Blueberry Muffins

Recipe courtesy Inspired Taste Blog

 

This easy blueberry muffin recipe is our most popular for a reason! It’s quick to make and yields muffins with a moist, tender center bursting with blueberries and a perfectly golden-brown top.

 

When measuring the flour for these muffins, either weigh it or use the “spoon and level” method: Fluff the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level off the top with a flat edge.

 

1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

¾ cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for muffin tops

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil

1 large egg

1/3 cup milk or non-dairy milk, use more as needed

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

6 to 8 ounces fresh or frozen blueberries, generous 1 cup

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line muffin cups with paper liners.

 

Lightly grease or spray the tops of the muffin tin with oil to prevent the tops from sticking. High-quality nonstick pans may not require this.

 

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

 

Choose a measuring jug that holds at least 1 cup. Add the oil to the jug, and then crack in the egg. Pour in enough milk to reach the 1-cup line on the jug (this should be about 1/3 cup of milk). Add the vanilla extract and whisk until everything is combined.

 

Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir gently until the batter comes together. Be careful not to overmix! The batter will be thick, see tips below.

 

Gently fold in the blueberries.

 

Divide the batter between muffin cups. Sprinkle a little sugar on top of each muffin.

 

Bake muffins 15 to 20 minutes or until tops are no longer wet and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out with crumbs, not wet batter. Transfer to a cooling rack.

To store, place them in a plastic bag, seal, and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. To freeze, wrap them tightly in aluminum foil or place them in freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months.

 

Makes 12 standard size muffins.

 

NOTES:

Frozen blueberries: Add frozen blueberries while frozen, do not thaw.

Measuring your flour: Fluff the flour in its container, then gently scoop it into your measuring cup until slightly mounded. Level off the top with a knife for accurate measuring. For even more accuracy, use a scale and measure the flour by weight (in grams).

For mini muffins, the baking time will be less — keep an eye on them while they bake and expect them to take 9 to 11 minutes.

Batter thickness: The batter should be thick and “scoopable” — not runny and not dry or extra thick like dough. If the batter is too runny, add flour, a tablespoon at a time until correct consistency. If the batter is dry or too thick, add milk, a tablespoon at a time until the proper consistency.

Recipe inspired by Allrecipes blueberry muffins.

Easy Homemade Biscuits

Biscuits are one of my most favorite foods in the whole world. I've been making drop biscuits for years, but this morning I finally tried out another biscuit recipe from my sister Maria that uses rolled out dough (rolled with your hands) and biscuit cutters. These two recipes are very similar but this one uses cold butter and the drop biscuits use melted butter. These were so good and easy to make!

Since I'm not a morning person, I mixed the dry ingredients the night before and set up my pastry board and everything I would need in the morning to make it even easier to get these in the oven quickly. I also cut the frozen butter with a box grater and then froze it in a plastic bag. All I had to do this morning was mix the butter in with the dry ingredients, add the milk, and cut the biscuits with my biscuit cutter. I made scrambled eggs while the biscuits were in the oven and my boys loved making themselves egg biscuits.

These biscuits were so good - the only thing I'll do differently next time is make a double recipe!

Easy Homemade Biscuits

Recipe courtesy “Sugar Spun Run” Blog

 

2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold (85g), unsalted European butter is ideal, but not required

¾ cup whole milk (177ml) buttermilk or 2% milk will also work

 

 

For best results, chill your butter in the freezer for 10-20 minutes before beginning this recipe. It's ideal that the butter is very cold for light, flaky, buttery biscuits.

 

Preheat oven to 425° and line a cookie sheet with nonstick parchment paper. Set aside.

 

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.

 

Remove your butter from the refrigerator and either cut it into your flour mixture using a pastry cutter or (preferred) use a box grater to shred the butter into small pieces and then add to the flour mixture and stir.

 

Cut the butter or combine the grated butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

 

Add milk, use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir until combined (don't over-work the dough).

 

Transfer your biscuit dough to a well-floured surface and use your hands to gently work the dough together. If the dough is too sticky, add flour until it is manageable.

 

Once the dough is cohesive, fold in half over itself and use your hands to gently flatten layers together. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold in half again, repeating this step 5-6 times but taking care to not overwork the dough.

 

Use your hands (do not use a rolling pin) to flatten the dough to 1" thick and lightly dust a 2¾" round biscuit cutter with flour.

 

Making close cuts, press the biscuit cutter straight down into the dough (do not twist it) and drop the biscuit onto your prepared baking sheet.

 

Repeat until you have gotten as many biscuits as possible and place less than ½" apart on baking sheet.

 

Once you have gotten as many biscuits as possible out of the dough, gently re-work the dough to get out another biscuit or two until you have at least 6 biscuits.

 

Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until tops are beginning to just turn lightly golden brown.

 

If desired, brush with melted salted butter immediately after removing from oven. Serve warm and enjoy.

 

Yield: 6 biscuits.

Fresh Peach Muffins with a Pecan Crumb Topping

A few days ago my sister Maria was talking about a peach muffin recipe that my niece Emma gave her. I had a few peaches in my fridge and wanted to give it a try so today I made it and they were so good! I didn't have pecans so I used walnuts, but pecans would definitely taste better. I would even omit the nuts in the crumb topping and it would still be good, or omit the crumb topping all together.

This recipe does require you to soften the butter, and you have to let the cut up peaches and sugar sit for 1 hour before making the batter, so you do have to plan ahead a little bit. I used 1.5 big peaches for this recipe.

The recipe is easy to make and I will definitely be making this one again!

Fresh Peach Muffins with a Pecan Crumb Topping

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

 

MUFFINS:

2 cups finely chopped fresh or frozen peaches

1¼ cups sugar, divided

½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1½ cups milk

3½ cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

 

PECAN CRUMB TOPPING:

½ cup flour

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup ground pecans

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces

 

 

Preheat the oven to 400°. Lightly Grease 24 (2 3/4-inch by 1 3/8-inch) muffin cups.

 

Place the peaches in a bowl and cover with ½ cup of the sugar. Mix thoroughly. Allow the peaches to sit for 1 hour.

 

Using an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle, cream the butter and remaining ¾ cup of sugar until smooth and pale in color, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. In a mixing bowl, combine 3½ cups of the flour, baking powder, and salt. Remove the bowl from the mixer and alternately fold in the milk and flour mixture, being careful not to over mix. Fold in the peaches. Spoon ¼ cup of the filling into each prepared muffin cup.

 

In a small bowl, combine ½ cup flour, brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon. Mix well. Add the butter. Using your hands, mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumb-like mixture. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the crumb mixture over each muffin cup.

 

Place in the oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with butter.

 

Yield: 24 muffins.

Cinnamon Swirl Apple Bread

I've never made apple muffins or apple bread but I've been wanting to lately. I found this Cinnamon Swirl Apple Bread recipe online last night and it looked really good so I decided to give it a try. It was so easy to make and so delicious - it reminded me of my Aunt Lucia's coffee cake with the addition of apples.

I added 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts to my bread. I chopped my apple pieces small as I don't like big chunks of fruit in bread. I only had Fuji apples so that's what I used. I had a bit over 2 cups (from 1.5 apples) but next time I make this I will not put any more than 2 cups of apples.

It took 45 minutes of baking for my bread to be done, but when I cut into it, it was still slightly runny in the middle.

This was the perfect apple bread for me since I don't like other spices that are in some bread recipes (I prefer only cinnamon). I love that this easily comes together with just a whisk and spatula - no mixer needed. I will definitely be making this one again soon!

Cinnamon Swirl Apple Bread

Recipe courtesy “Mom On Timeout” Website

 

Homemade Apple Bread with a lovely cinnamon swirl is the perfect fall breakfast, snack, or dessert! This easy apple bread recipe is moist, sweet and simply loaded with apples and the flavors of fall. Make enough to share with friends and family or keep the whole cozy loaf for yourself! This easy apple bread recipe is a must make this season!

½ cup brown sugar

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 large eggs, room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

2 cups chopped apples - Pink Lady, Gala, Honeycrisp - any apples that are good for baking, peeled and chopped (about 2 apples)

 

 

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour an 8 x 5 inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper. Set aside.

 

In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

 

Whisk eggs and granulated sugar together in a large mixing bowl.

 

Whisk in melted butter and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.

 

Stir in all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt just until combined. The batter will be very thick. Fold in chopped walnuts (optional) and chopped apples.

 

Add half of the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle about three quarters of the brown sugar mixture on top of the batter.

 

Spread the remaining batter carefully on top of the brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar mixture on top and use a knife or spoon to gently swirl it into the top layer.

 

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until lightly golden on top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. (If bread is browning too quickly, tent with foil for the last 10 to 15 minutes.)

 

Let bread cool completely before slicing and serving.

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

This coffee cake recipe is my Grandma Filomena's but my Aunt Lucia used to make it all the time. I haven't made it in many years but we are getting ready to go on vacation so I made one today to bring with us. It's the perfect recipe to make ahead of time, freeze and bring on vacation for breakfast. And best of all, while I'm at the beach, it's a recipe that makes me think of two of my favorite women who are now in Heaven. It brings back a lot of memories of beach trips with both of them when I was younger. I also realized we will be at the beach this year on my Aunt Lucia's birthday, which is what inspired me to make it for this trip.

The only change I make is that I add half of the batter, half of the cinnamon/walnut mixture, then the other half of each (rather than in thirds). When flipping this upside down to take it out of the pan, some of the topping falls off. If you swirl the top a little bit after adding the cinnamon/walnut mixture, not as much topping will fall off!

Edit July 2024: I changed the original recipe to add the dry cake ingredients last. The original recipe says to add the layers of cake and topping in thirds, but I do it in halves.

Note: my cousin Patrick told me his mom used to double the amount of sour cream. I’ll have to try that next time.

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

 

CAKE:

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

TOPPING:

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup finely chopped walnuts

½ cup sugar

 

Cream butter and 1 cup sugar. Beat in eggs. Blend in sour cream and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In separate bowl, mix the cinnamon, walnuts, and ½ cup sugar.

Grease and flour a 10” tube pan; pour in 1/2 of the batter, sprinkle with 1/2 of topping mixture; finish with remaining batter and then remaining topping.

 

Bake at 350˚ for 40-45 minutes.

 

Freeze if desired. To serve, return to room temperature; can be warmed in 350˚ oven.

 

Serves 10.