Whole Wheat Buttermilk Blueberry Waffles

Last week my good friend wanted some company as she spent the day with her nieces. For sanity’s sake or just for the sake of some adult company, it didn’t really matter. Shopping and going to see the Smurfs? WIN!

I know what you’re thinking. Aren’t you an adult? A 25 year old without kids? Why yes, yes I am. But Smurfs hold a wonderful place in my heart. I remember having a Smurf book when I was super little and I either read it to myself or it was read to me by my Oma. Either way, it reminds me of a simpler time.

And I love me some NPH.

So I got a Cinnabon Roll Pretzel and watched this adorable child oriented film and let myself fall in love with these adorable little blue lumps of love. I wanted to squish them.

Next thing I knew I wanted blueberries. And I wanted them in waffles. Enter these waffles. Warm, fragrant, fluffy, delicious and pretty darn healthy for a waffle.

I usually go super plain when it comes to waffles because I have a cheap-o tiny 2 slot waffle maker (that I LOVE) that doesn’t really treat my waffle add-ins with tender lovin’ care. But that’s probably because I want to add chopped apples and huge chunks of chocolate. When will I learn?

Also, when will I learn not to overfill the cupcake pan? That’s an issue to tackle another day. Clearly, I have issues.

Issues aside, it’s National Waffle Day. Buck up and make these waffles. Heck make ANY waffles. Then stop by and share them with me because my waffle maker is taking a rest from my huge smurf filled waffles 😉

Whole-Wheat Buttermilk Blueberry Waffles Recipe
adapted from here

Serves 2-3 (yields 8 5×4″ waffles)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 eggs (0.75 grams), at room temp.
2 Tablespoons (1 oz) unsalted butter, melted
1 cups buttermilk, at room temp.
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries

Instructions:

Preheat your waffle iron. Place a few paper towels underneath it if you are a serial over-filler like I am.

Mix the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder,
salt, cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl with a whisk until fully combined.

In a small bowl (or a 4 cup measuring cup) measure out buttermilk. Add the eggs, melted butter and vanilla and gently whisk together until thoroughly blended. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture, blending until JUST combined (or the flour disappears) with a whisk or a rubber spatula. It’s best not to over-mix here. A few lumps are better than none, trust me.

Gently and quickly fold the blueberries into the batter taking care not to over-mix.

Spray your waffle iron with a spritz of non-stick cooking spray. Cook the waffle batter in your waffle iron according to manufacturer’s instructions (every waffle iron is different but mine took about 5 minutes per waffle batch).

Serve with fresh blueberries and whipped cream or maple syrup and bacon. Or your favorite way 🙂 Just be sure to eat ’em warm!

To freeze any leftover waffles: let waffles come to room temperature on a cooling rack then pop them in a Ziploc bag and squeeze out as much air as you can. Pop them in the toaster (or toaster oven) for a quick breakfast on a busy morning.

Day 24: Gingerbread Waffles

Christmas breakfast. Oh what a joy it is! I’m only guessing. My version of Christmas breakfast is a gulp of water as we rush out the door to get to the in-laws’ before everyone makes a mad dash for the gifts.

You see, my family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve. We go over that evening and chat, drink champagne and slowly prep from dinner. Then we have said late dinner and talk some more until we just can’t take the anticipation any longer.

SO, Christmas breakfast is unknown to me. BUT if I were to imagine it, I’m pretty sure it would involve something warm and sweet made with love and a sprinkle of Christmas cheer.

Just in case you don’t want to go the cinnamon roll route for Christmas, these waffles come together quickly and taste WONDERFUL! It’s almost as if Santa made this recipe himself. 😉

It’s Christmas EVE and this extravaganza is coming to a sad close. I love Christmas. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, ya know? Make these waffles for your loved ones and be of good cheer. 😉

Gingerbread Waffles:

Ingredients:
½ cups Butter
½ cups Brown Sugar
½ cups Molasses
2 whole Eggs
1-¼ cup Milk
2 cups Flour
½ teaspoons Baking Powder
1-½ teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
½ teaspoons Salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Melt butter and mix with brown sugar and molasses. Add eggs and milk. Combine until incorporated.

Add all dry ingredients and mix until smooth.

Pour onto hot greased waffle iron and cook until nicely browned.

Place on an oven safe plate and set them in the oven until all the other ones are done, to keep them nice and warm.

Serve these with anything from fresh fruit and whipped cream to syrup and Nutella. Drizzly peanut butter or a dusting of snow… I mean powdered sugar 😉

Banana Chocolate Chip Waffles

This recipe has been printed and sitting on top of my binder for weeks now and all I needed was an excuse to make these.

Left over bananas from the Cocoa-Nana bread: check.
Bro and sis coming over for brunch: check.
New, unused waffle iron: check.

I wanted something a bit healthier so I used whole wheat flour, but you could easily substitute all purpose flour for all or half of it.

The flavor is really delicious (if you like bananas, that is) and the texture is a bit denser than waffles made with AP flour but if you don’t over-cook the waffles they are still a fantastic texture: soft and springy with warm melty chocolate chips in each bite. Yum-o.

Banana Chocolate Chip Waffles

This recipe yields about 8 rectangle waffles but can easily be doubled to make plenty for that breakfast army 🙂

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour (AP will work too)
2 TBSP granulated sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP cinnamon
2 large eggs
1-2/3 cups milk (whole milk and 2% work)
6 TBSP oil (I used olive oil)
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used mini chips)

Directions:

Preheat your waffle maker and spritz it with a bit of cooking oil if necessary.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together. Then add in the bananas, eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and mix it until it is combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour about 2/3 cup of batter (amount will vary by waffle maker) onto the waffle maker, even out the batter and cook it for about 2 minutes or until it starts turning slightly brown. Waffles should be soft to the touch and very aromatic. Dust with powdered sugar or top with fresh fruit.

Note: you can make the batter earlier in the morning and just cover the bowl until ready to use. Make and freeze them for a quick morning breakfast, just pop in the toaster to warm up.