So you have selected the waffle maker than best suits your needs. The next step is selecting what is the best waffle recipe? Like picking the waffle maker, a lot depends on your personal taste but here is a selection of ideas to help you get started.
What are Waffles?
Waffles are defined as ‘leavened batter or dough’ which is cooked between two plates which gives it the characteristic shape. They are eaten throughout the world but are particularly popular in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and the US.
One of the most common types is the Belgian waffle, which actually originates in North American and is similar to the Brussels waffle. There are also Bergische waffles which are a German specialist waffles that are heart shaped and served with cherries, cream and rice pudding.
Hong Kong waffles are also known as a grid cake or grid biscuit and are made by street hawkers in Hong Kong. They are round and have butter, peanut butter and sugar spread on them. There are also several varieties of waffles from Scandinavian countries which tend to be thin and heart-shaped.
‘Best Ever’ Waffle Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cups of flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 eggs, separated
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 ¾ cups milk
Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, sugar) into a large mixing bowl. Separate the two eggs, adding the yolks in to the bowl of dried ingredients and keeping the whites separate. Beat the whites until they are moderately stiff. Add milk and butter to the dry mix with the egg yolks in and blend together. Then add the whites of the eggs in slowly, folding them into the mixture.
The mixture is now ready to be added to the hot waffle maker and cook as per your product’s instructions.
Serving Suggestions
For a delicious breakfast dish, you could add fresh fruit and yoghurt to the waffle once it was cooked or even dried fruit if this was more to your preference.
Or for a savoury option you could add bacon, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce to make an indulgent treat. Another savoury option is to add ham and cheddar to the mix when in the waffle maker but before you close it.
As a dessert, add sliced bananas, butterscotch sauce and ice cream once cooked or perhaps warmed strawberries with sugar syrup and cream.
Another fruit idea is to take some peeled and diced peaches, add to water, sugar and cornstarch with a dash of nutmeg and ½ tsp of almond essence then add this to the waffles and top with whipped cream. (If you wanted to be a bit naughty, you could add a dash of peach schnapps to the mix!)
Real Belgian Waffles
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 eggs separated
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 cup of melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Add the flour, sugar and baking powder together in a large bowl and stir while in another bowl lightly beat the egg yolks. Add milk, butter and vanilla to the eggs and mix thoroughly. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks then add to the mixture. Preheat the waffle maker and cook following your manufacturer’s instructions
Serving suggestions
Make a berry topping for the waffles by taking a cup of whipped cream, adding ¼ cup of powdered sugar, 2 cups of strawberries and ½ cup of blueberries. Mix the cream and sugar together add the berries and serve on top of your fresh, warm waffles.
Gluten Free Waffles
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup of milk
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl, beat them together until smooth then leave to stand for about five minutes. Simply add to a warmed waffle maker and follow your manufacturer’s instructions.
Serving suggestions
These waffles can be sweet with whipped cream, jam or syrup or add sour cream for a less sweet option.
One topping suggestion is to add some blackberries and honey into a pan and simmer, adding water in small amounts where needed. When the fruit has broken up, and the mixture looks a bit like jam, it can be added to the waffles and topped with sweetened whipped cream.
Chocolate Waffles
Ingredients (makes 10)
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup butter
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 6 egg whites
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl and stir together. In a microwave bowl, add butter and chocolate chips then cook for 1 minute before stirring. Cook for another 15 seconds until chocolate is smooth and leave to cool slightly. When the chocolate mix is cool, stir in milk, egg whites and the vanilla and blend together with the dry ingredients
Add to your pre-heated waffle maker and cook following your product’s instructions.
Serving suggestions
A simple topping sauce would be made from softened butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla extract and milk mixed together in a pan then served on the warmed waffles.
Another topping is a caramel banana topping which would involve sliced bananas in a simple caramel sauce, poured onto the waffles after cooking.
These are just a tiny amount of the best recipes that are available for waffles and can be adapted for every eating preference and allergy requirement. You can add your favourite fruit or sauce or discover a new use for favourite savoury ingredients. They can be made for the whole family in a short period of time, and each can be finished differently to accommodate a range of tastes. You can see the best waffle recipe mix on Amazon to get further ideas too.
So once you have invested in your waffle maker, the world of waffles is open to you and there is plenty of choices to suit every taste and occasion!
