Wickedly Wonderful Waffle Recipe

I don't know about you, but sometimes I go forever without thinking about a certain food; then, one day that food will reappear on my radar seemingly out of nowhere and BOOM! I'm obsessed. Can't get enough. Can't try enough variations. This is exactly what happened with the waffle a few weeks ago. I know what you're thinking, and I agree, in general I've had more horrible waffles than amazing waffles, too. But that was before one recipe (and a new waffle maker) changed my life.

The foundational waffle recipe (which is delicious on its own and easily transformed into seemingly endless variations) can be found here and has the best name: Aretha Frankenstein's Waffles of Insane Greatness!  From this basic recipe (which I have made numerous times), I have modified it at least 4 different ways and each one has been a home run with my entire crew.

The basic recipe doesn't make nearly enough waffles to satisfy my crowd, so I'm sharing the way I make it (a quadrupled version with some slight adjustments). The basic recipe is written below with the pumpkin and apple cinnamon modifications added to the end of the recipe.

As always, feel free to share this recipe on social media because friends don't let friends eat bad waffles!

So, without further delay, here is the recipe for deliciously wicked waffles...

The Quadruple

3 cups flour

1 cup cornstarch

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 & 1/2 tsp salt (this is a reduced amount from the actual recipe)

4 cups buttermilk

1 &1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter (I vote butter!)

4 eggs

2 Tbsp. sugar

3 tsp. vanilla extract (go with a good quality extract)

For serving: maple syrup or your favorite fruit

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well with whisk or sift. In a large measuring bowl (this is important for the modified versions) add the milk, vegetable oil/butter, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just combined. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes (or overnight in the fridge, the batter is perfect AND you can grab a few extra minutes of sleep - WIN!).

2. Heat a waffle iron. Follow the recommendations provided by the manufacturer of your waffle maker to cook the waffles. Serve immediately with butter and pure maple syrup or hold in a 200 degree oven, directly on the rack (don't stack them or they'll get soggy). These also reheat very well in the toaster. See *Note below for freezing instructions.

Modifications

For pumpkin--

Add to dry ingredients: 1 Tbsp of ground cinnamon + 1/4 tsp of freshly ground nutmeg

For wet ingredients-- add 1 cup of pumpkin puree to your measuring cup/bowl BEFORE adding the buttermilk. With the pumpkin included in the measurement, now fill with buttermilk to the 4 cup line and continue with remaining wet ingredients. Mix according to original recipe.

For apple cinnamon--

Add to dry ingredients: 1 Tbsp of ground cinnamon + 1/4 tsp of freshly ground nutmeg and mix all dry ingredients well. Dice 1 cored and seeded apple of your choice (peeling or not is also your preference). Add diced apple to the dry mixture and toss to coat.

For wet ingredients: no changes. Proceed with basic recipe instructions.

*Note: If this version is too large for your crew, I suggest cooking the extra waffles minimally (until light-blonde in color), then place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once the waffles are frozen, place them in a zip-top bag for future use and store them in your freezer. Simply microwave or place in the toaster on a crazy morning for a fast, yet delicious breakfast.