I don’t know where it came from, but I got it in my head that I was going to be the best wafflemaker in town. Moreover, this side of the Mississip. I’m sure people have had stranger goals.
I want to be able to bust out a waffle so delightful you’ll get wistful at the mere mention of waffles in the future.
This right here is not my first attempt.. Nor will it be my last.
I have made a total of six tries since uttering the title phrase. All varying types, all no where near the best waffles… Anywhere.
Last night we had a terrible snowstorm. I use the word “terrible” loosely, because this winter has been so tame, I guess I’ve gotten soft. For serious, though.. The sky turned purple. PURPLE. There miiiight have been thunder and lightning, and people near and dear to me may or may not have lost power for hours.
Needless to say, I wasn’t heading out into the wilderness for supplies. This morning, I perused the interwebs for easy recipes with ingredients that I already had in the house. I found one on the Egg Beaters website that fit my needs. I’m still uncomfortable winging it with these guys, as every one that I’ve tried have been so vastly different. (Egg nog to banana walnut.)
Here it is..
————————–
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups Ultragrain® All Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups fat free milk
1/2 cup Egg Beaters® Original
1/4 cup Fleischmann’s¬Æ Original-stick, melted (1/4 cup = 1/2 stick)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
Reddi-wip¬Æ Original Whipped Light Cream and confectioners’ sugar, optional
DIRECTIONS:
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl with wire whisk to evenly distribute the ingredients. Add milk, Egg Beaters, Fleischmann’s and vanilla. Blend with wire whisk until batter is smooth and lump-free. Batter should be thick but pourable.
Spray grids of hot waffle iron with cooking spray. Pour about 1/3-cup batter onto hot waffle iron. Cook according to manufacturer’s suggestion.
Place cooked waffles on wire rack while cooking more waffles. Divide strawberries over waffles. Serve with Reddi-wip and confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
—————————–
First of all… Fleishmanns or any other fake butter product is strictly prohibited in this house. I will not have it. Regular, unsalted butter or none at all, I always say. It’s like fat free mayo. N’thanks.
Second.. No Egg Beaters either. I used two whole eggs instead of the 1/2 cup.
I supposed I don’t have to tell you that Reddi-wip isn’t allowed either.
I didn’t have strawberries, and opted to not use the confectioner’s sugar.
My friend Jessica found this amazing waffle iron for me at a rummage sale. I decided today was the day to break it in. It makes great thin, and crispy waffles(something my Belgian iron does not do). And they’re just so darn cute!
I was unsure about the amount of batter to use.
Hint: It’s not a lot.
When I finally got the hang, they turned out pretty great. Good color, and great crunch.
(AND JUST SO DARN CUTE)
Flavor? Boo.
This recipe turned out to be a bit of browned edible plate to put fruit, butter, and syrup on. If that’s what I wanted, I could have busted out the unsalted fat free Saltines. (and nobody has those)
So this is not the recipe. I knew this before I made them, but you have to know what’s bad to find out what’s good, right? Because this morning was an actually functional meal, I made no attempt to tweak the recipe.. And my limited pantry stock hindered said tweaking anyway.
Here’s what I learned.. Waffles need fat. I need an eggy, custardy, sweet and creamy flavor base. No matter the waffle. I need it to be french toast in a waffley, french fry crust, ya heard? Crispy bread pudding. This is what I want. Oh, and it will be achieved. Mark my words, sirs.
