In the pantheon of breakfast foods, waffles have always ranked near the top for me. Last week, as I was dealing with change by making stuff, I came up with this high-protein recipe for waffle-tasticness that has now become my one and only waffle option. So I thought I'd share!
The quantities listed here made four go-rounds for us in a family-size waffle maker, so 16 good size waffles. In the 20 minutes of scrumptiousness that followed the waffle making I realized that I really ought to have doubled, if not tripled the batch. I think I'm going to try making a whole slew of waffles and putting them two at a time in freezer baggies for quick breakfasts on school mornings. Like my own Eggos but made with love and thoughtfulness instead of sodium aluminum phosphate.
Now, I'm about to impart ageless wisdom, so pay attention. Here are the two things I've learned about making up recipes and baking:
1.) You can make up recipes so much more easily if you understand the chemistry of how each ingredient works. What is its purpose? Can you leave it out and achieve healthier but still tasty results? For example, I almost always leave out the salt in baking recipes, but leaving out the moist-makers (eggs/oil/applesauce/yogurt) or the fluffiness facilitators (baking powder/soda/cream-of-tartar) would be a bad plan. Substituting whole wheat flour for white is usually okay, but will make your batters heavy and your doughs tough. I like a mix. Half whole wheat, half all-purpose. Sugar can almost always be reduced (it's pretty minimal in the recipe above but you could leave it out all together if that's the way you roll), and I personally like to use milk as a liquid substitute whenever water is called for; not only for the extra protein but the creamier texture and richer flavor it gives.
And 2.) Always mix your wet ingredients in one bowl and your dry ingredients in another, then mix them together, gradually adding the dry to the wet (for the intents and purposes of most recipes, sugar is a 'wet' ingredient). No fancy instructions necessary.
So...utilizing those new-found nuggets of knowledge, mix up the ingredients and make waffles. In a waffle maker. And then eat them and be happy.
I should probably never write a cookbook.
The quantities listed here made four go-rounds for us in a family-size waffle maker, so 16 good size waffles. In the 20 minutes of scrumptiousness that followed the waffle making I realized that I really ought to have doubled, if not tripled the batch. I think I'm going to try making a whole slew of waffles and putting them two at a time in freezer baggies for quick breakfasts on school mornings. Like my own Eggos but made with love and thoughtfulness instead of sodium aluminum phosphate.
Ingredients:
1 cup cottage cheese
4 eggs
1 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
1 1/2 c milk
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c unbleached all purpose flour
4 tsps baking powder
Now, I'm about to impart ageless wisdom, so pay attention. Here are the two things I've learned about making up recipes and baking:
1.) You can make up recipes so much more easily if you understand the chemistry of how each ingredient works. What is its purpose? Can you leave it out and achieve healthier but still tasty results? For example, I almost always leave out the salt in baking recipes, but leaving out the moist-makers (eggs/oil/applesauce/yogurt) or the fluffiness facilitators (baking powder/soda/cream-of-tartar) would be a bad plan. Substituting whole wheat flour for white is usually okay, but will make your batters heavy and your doughs tough. I like a mix. Half whole wheat, half all-purpose. Sugar can almost always be reduced (it's pretty minimal in the recipe above but you could leave it out all together if that's the way you roll), and I personally like to use milk as a liquid substitute whenever water is called for; not only for the extra protein but the creamier texture and richer flavor it gives.
And 2.) Always mix your wet ingredients in one bowl and your dry ingredients in another, then mix them together, gradually adding the dry to the wet (for the intents and purposes of most recipes, sugar is a 'wet' ingredient). No fancy instructions necessary.
So...utilizing those new-found nuggets of knowledge, mix up the ingredients and make waffles. In a waffle maker. And then eat them and be happy.
I should probably never write a cookbook.
xo
Your title is an oft quoted Shrek line in our house. And I need to make and freeze more waffles for breakfast, because it is super effective and delicious. (But I need a bigger waffle iron, becuase it takes me HOURS to cook up a huge batch with my tiny belgian two square waffle iron)
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