waffles

German’s Chocolate Cake Waffles

September 23, 2015

Yesterday was Price’s Birthday!! Yay!!!

Price’s favorite cake is German’s Chocolate Cake so I had to make these in his honor.

Price love German’s Chocolate Cake as it’s not your typical chocolate cake. It’s a nice dense cake that is then loaded up with a rich frosting that is made from cooked evaporated milk, shredded coconut, and pecans. That caramely coconut pecan frosting is signature to the cake. It makes every bite the perfect way to celebrate a birthday. (Plus, Price thinks it’s at it’s very best when served with some coffee ice cream!)

I believe that you should be able to celebrate your birthday all day and if that means eating waffles that are basically like cake, then go for it!!

While Price enjoyed his German’s Chocolate Cake Waffles, he was a bit bummed that it wasn’t like when I made brownie waffles or when I made Birthday Cake Waffles using cake mix. He was looking for the typical super sweet coconut frosting to be spread on the waffle. And I was trying to go for a more breakfasty waffle so I decided to be more inspired by the frosting than just adapt it.

I just reason that you can have breakfast AND cake later on. HAHA!!

For these waffles, I made a chocolate waffle with a chocolate and pecan compound butter that was then topped off with loads of toasted coconut and chopped pecans. And pure maple syrup. And whipped cream. (Price is spoiled!)

I think that the compound butter was perfectly sinful! It was chocolatey, nutty, and perfectly sweet. And butter is butter so that’s always good. I prefer using Kerrygold because it is such a great quality and is flavorful. You might ask yourself why should you care about the butter as the rest of the ingredients are going to mask any flavors from it. Trust me, it’s still worth it.

Most of all, I loved the combination of the flavors and the textures. It’s exactly why Price loves

German’s Chocolate Cake Waffles

Ingredients

For the Waffles

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 whole eggs
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (I suggest Kerrygold)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
16 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
Vegetable spray, for waffle ironFor the Compound Butter

4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature (I suggest Kerrygold)
1/4 Cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons dutch processed cocoa powder
1/4 Cup finely chopped pecans

Toppings

1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
1 Cup Shredded Coconut
Maple Syrup
Whipped Cream, Optional (but encouraged!)

Process

Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
In another bowl beat together the eggs. Add in the melted butter, vanilla extract, and then add the buttermilk.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined. Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
Ladle the recommended amount of waffle batter onto the center of the iron. Cook until steam stops escaping the sides of the waffle iron, and the waffle is crispy and easily removed from iron. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.
To make the compound butter, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Blend until completely mix through.
In a skillet, over low heat, toast the chopped pecans and shredded coconut. Mix to prevent burning. Toast until the coconut is golden brown.
Serve by plating a warm waffle, dollop butter on the waffle, sprinkle with the toasted pecans and coconut, drizzle with maple syrup, and add whipped cream. Enjoy!

Waffle recipe adapted from Alton Brown

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Kerrygold has provided me with butters to use in the creation of these waffle recipes for my #WaffleWednesday series. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks for all of your comments. I appreciate them all.

Overnight Yeast Waffles with a Maple Blackberry Butter

September 2, 2015

I feel like I’ve recently waken up from a fog. It feels so good.

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Croque-Madame Puffle Waffle

August 26, 2015

Aside from eggs benedict, my favorite savory brunch delight is the croque madame.

It’s like the best grilled cheese stuffed with ham that is then topped off with a cheesy sauce on top and then some oozey eggs. It’s such a great savory option to change things up from your typical french toast and pancakes. Don’t get me wrong, french toast is awesome with its crisp egg crust, big pat of melty butter, and sweet, sweet syrup. But there are times when you need to skip the sweets for brunch and get a croque madame. And don’t forget your bloody mary!

Of course I had to make it in waffle form!

When I was originally thinking of making a croque madame waffle I was thinking of making an infused waffle that was spiked with mustard powder and everything bagel seasoning, which I still think is an awesome idea, but I ultimately decided to make it in puffle form.

The puffle makes the sandwich have such a great crunch. I loved it.

This recipe wraps up my puffle recipes for the month. I loved them all but this was my favorite as it had some much flavor in it from each and every aspect of it from the ham and cheese sandwich then the bechamel sauce, and eggs. Sure, it’s more complicated from the other simplier ones but it’s worth the extra bit of effort to make the bechamel and to fry up some eggs.

The recipe is perfect for hosting brunch as it makes 8 puffles, which can equate to 8 to 4 servings (depending on your side), but you can easily halve it and make it for a casual weekend brunch at home.

Brunch will never be the same when you give these Croque Madame Puffles a try!!

Croque-Madame Puffle Waffle

Makes 8 puffles

Ingredients

For the puffles

1 17.5 ounce box of puff pastry dough
16 slices of honey ham
8 slices of swiss cheese
1/4 cup or so of dijon mustard

For the bechamel sauce

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon mustard powder
3 1/2 ounces coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (1 1/3 cups)

8 eggs
olive oil

Process

Thaw the puff pastry according to the instructions on the box. (Typically 40 minutes at room temperature prior to use)
While the puff pastry is thawing, begin to make the bechamel sauce. Place a 1 quart heavy bottom saucepan over moderately low heat. Melt 3 tablespoons butter, then whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Whisk in salt, pepper, nutmeg, mustard powder, and 1/3 cup cheese until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and cover surface directly with a sheet of wax paper until you are ready to use it.
Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface to be 12″ x 12″. Work the dough to eliminate the seams. Cut the dough into 4 equal sized pieces. Score each piece in half.
Leaving 1/2″ boarder, spread a teaspoon of the dijon mustard on half of each piece. Add the ham and cheese to each half. You will need to rip the slices to make them fit.
Fold the other half of the puff pastry over the filling, crimp the edges to seal the filling inside the pastry dough.
Repeat with the other sheet of puff pastry dough to make the other 4 puffles.
Preheat your waffle iron at this point. Place the puffle dough on the waffle iron. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. The dough should no longer be expanding and puffing up when you open the waffle iron.
Gently remove, and place on a cooling rack until ready to serve the puffles.
While the puffles are cooking/cooling, place a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon or so of olive oil to the skillet. Crack 2 eggs in the skillet to begin frying up. If you prefer them over-easy, when they are just about set on the bottom, carefully flip them over and cook for no more than 20 seconds.
Plate 2 puffles, drizzle some bechamel sauce on, and then top with the fried eggs.

Puffle adapted from Epicurious, sauce adapted from Epicurious

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I hope you are enjoying all my Waffle Wednesday recipes and enjoyed this month of fun puffle recipes. Be sure to give them a try. xoxo

Guava and Cream Cheese Stuffed Puffle W affles

S’mores Puffle Waffles

Peanut Butter and Jelly Puffle Waffle

Banana’s Foster Waffles

July 15, 2015

Okay, summer, can you please get hot?!?!?

I’ve been anxiously waiting for it to get hot here in Boston. Sure, it’s been in the 80’s but it has not yet hit 90 yet. Every day they show a chart on the local news that shows the number of days above 90 for the past few years and this year has a big fat ‘0’ next to it. It breaks my heart.

I live for the hot sticky days. It just feels so great to step outside to hot humid weather. Like when I travel to Florida and the doors open up at the airport and it feels like a big slap to my face. It just makes me feel alive when my skin gets prickly from the heat.

So while it’s not as hot as I’d like, I’m still enjoying the summer. We have been grilling a lot, playing around in the kiddie pool, and just sitting out enjoying the nice days and nights. My neighbors do as well. It’s so nice to see families enjoy it together with kids running around before and after their BBQ dinners. In fact, our neighbors were recently enjoying the cool summer nighttime breezes with some friends when I brought them over a big platter of these Banana’s Foster Waffles. That’s just how I roll!

Banana’s Foster was originally invented at Brennan’s Vieux Carré Restaurant located on Bourbon Street, across from The Old Absinthe House in the 1950’s. (Side note- Price and I believe that the best Bloody Mary is from The Old Absinthe House in NOLA. GET ONE!!!) It was a solution to excess bananas that they had in stock. Brilliant.

It’s a great combination of ripe bananas, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and booze. It’s sickly sweet. It’s sticky sweet. It’s perfection.

And I, of course, dumped all that syrupy banana goodness on of a big old scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, which was happily melting on a warm waffle.

I kept it simple stupid when I approached the waffle as I just used a mix and added some cinnamon to it amp up that flavor that’s in the Banana’s Foster syrupy goodness. Don’t get me wrong, Bisquick is great but the Belgiuan Waffle Mix from Krusteaz is AWESOME. It is airy and has a great sweet flavor to it. Their Buttermilk Pancake Mix is also great, but I wanted to use something on the sweeter side as it’s for dessert.

When you make Banana’s Foster the rum should flame up… FLAMBE! But as I don’t have a gas range mine didn’t. I tried to get it to catch with a flame, but by the time I lit it the booze was already cooking off. Hey, I tried! So no worries if your flambe is a dud, it will still be great!

I don’t tattle if you make this awesome dessert for breakfast. You know what they say, well, what do they say?

Banana’s Foster Waffles

Makes 6 – 7″ wide round waffles

Ingredients

For the waffles

3 Cups Belgiun Waffle Mix, I used Krustez
2 eggs
1 1/3 Cup water
1/3 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the bananas

4 Tablespoons butter
1 Cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Ounces banana liqueur
1 1⁄2 Ounces aged rum
3 bananas

For serving

Vanilla Ice Cream
Whipped cream

Process

Preheat your waffle iron.
In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the waffle batter. Begin to make the waffles. As they finish, place on a cooling rack.
Cut the peeled bananas in half, then cut each half in half again, then repeat to cut each portion in half to create 8 long pieces.
To prepare the banana’s foster sauce, combine butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan over medium heat. As the butter begins to melt, add the banana liquor and stir to combine.
Add the banana to the sauce, cook until they begin to soften (about 1-2 minutes).
If using a gas range, tilt back the pan to slightly heat the far edge of the pan. Once hot carefully add the rum, and tilt the pan toward the flame, to ignite the rum. If using an electric cook top, use a lighter to ignite the rum.
Gently stir the sauce and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes to ensure that all of the alcohol cooks out.
Plate a waffle, add a scoop of ice cream, and then top with 4 slices of banana and sauce.

Banana’s Foster recipe adapted from Brennan’s New Orleans Restaurant

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While I received product from Krusteaz for recipe development, all opinions are my own

Chili Topped Cornbread Waffles

July 8, 2015

Ugh, technology kills me at times. It really does.

As soon as I walk up to our IT guys I just apologize. I usually come bug them with a silly problem, which, thankfully, can be fixed quickly. But it feels so silly bugging them about it. Like I couldn’t get into a program last week and I went over to one of the guys asking for help. I sit back down and go to open the program and say ‘I’ve tried it open this like 4 times and it won’t and I keep getting a pop up…’ and that was when it opened up perfectly. He just shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Typical.

I had a moment at home like that, which is exactly why this post is getting posted a week later than I planned! Bummer! I was getting warnings when I was trying to download the pictures off my SD card to edit them about copying them without properties. WHAT? Well, it still seemed to work as I could download them and edit them in. But then they won’t upload to WordPress. And I was literally trying to do this as I was packing up the car last week to go to Maine. After swearing like a sailor, I shut the laptop, swore some more, and just had to blow off posting last week for #WaffleWednesday. So annoying!!!!!!!

And guess what, I open up wordpress again to mess around with the post when we get back and all the photos I tried to load in where in. Just magically appearing now. Sigh…

Anyway, this is the closest I get to making a 30 minute meal.

I am no Rachel Ray. I really admire her idea of 30 minute meals and how she (and her team) have created some wonderful 30 minute meals. I’ve tried plenty. There are some that I can totally do in 30 minutes and then there are others that take 35-40 minutes. Sometimes I’m just slow.

But with this dinner you I bet you can whip it up in about 30 minutes. I swear!

Start off by preheating your waffle iron. The veggies are quick to chop and then you just dump in the a pot to soften. Add the meat to brown. Between breaking it up and it browning, mix the cornbread batter together and start to make the cornbread waffles. While they are baking up continue on with the chili by smooshing the chili to a side and cooking the tomato paste for minute. Then dump in the beans, canned tomatoes, and spices to wrap it up and let it do its thing until you are done making your cornbread waffles. Done and done!

The best thing about this is how the waffle iron makes the cornbread have a nice crisp texture. It’s like how the best part of lasagna is the crunchy edge pieces. The crisp cornbread texture is right on the money!

And the second best thing is smothering that waffle with quick, delicious chili. Such a good dinner.

Chili Topped Cornbread Waffles

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Chili

1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 poblano pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
approximately 20 ounces of ground beef
1 heaping Tablespoon tomato paste
1 – 15.5 ounce can of black beans
1 – 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoon cayenne powder
salt and pepper

For the Cornbread Waffles

1 11.5 box of Southern Cornbread Mix from Krusteaz
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 Cup butter, melted

Optional Chili Toppings

Salsa, fresh tomatoes, cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, diced avocado

Process

Preheat your waffle iron. Mix the ingredients for the cornbread waffles together. Begin to make the waffles, continue while making the chili. When done place on a cooling rack in a warm oven (200-ish degrees) oven.
In a medium sized pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced vegetables and garlic. Saute, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables are soft, and onions are lighter in color.
Add the ground beef. Break into small pieces while stirring.
When the majority of the beef had browned and it’s in small pieces, push over to 1 side. Add the tomato paste of the bottom of the pot. Cook for 1 minute to brown the tomato paste (this process helps enhance the flavor!)
Pour in the beans and diced tomatoes and add the spices and continue to simmer until you are done making your waffles.

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While I received product from Krusteaz for recipe development, all opinions are my own

Whole Wheat Apple Sauce Waffles

June 24, 2015

You know, being sick really, really sucks.

That’s an obvious statement right there. Duh.

But it’s even worse when your kid is sick. Double duh.

Our house is one big germ bubble. From Autumn’s double ear infection to my viral something that had me practically sleep away the day yesterday. I wish I was still in bed now in fact. And I’m sure I’ll feel the same way tomorrow too. Oh well.

I did manage to make these awesome waffles yesterday afternoon. It made me feel like a human. You know, it gave me something to do other than roll over in bed, look at the time on my phone, and roll back over again to fall back asleep. Plus, ya gotta eat.

At least Autumn ate some waffles for dinner. Actually, let’s not kid ourselves, she ate whipped cream off the waffles. My kid is addicted to whipped cream. She yells when she sees the can in the door. I have have start to hiding it. Now I wouldn’t normally let her just pick whipped cream off homemade waffles and eat it for dinner, but I needed her to eat something and she blew off the mac and cheese, grapes, yogurt, and waffles. So, whipped cream for dinner, sure. #parentsoftheyear

Okay, back to the waffles…

They are a perfect flavorful, low fat, healthy waffle for when you’re craving a hearty waffle while trying to reduce the fat. I ditched the oil for apple sauce in my favorite Classic Waffle recipe which sounds boring but it makes them really moist. And I added some fun spices to enhance the whole wheat and apple flavors. Jazz hands!

I topped them off with more apple sauce, some softened butter, and a good swirl of maple syrup. And you should too.

Whole Wheat Apple Sauce Waffles

Makes 12-14 4″ Square Waffles (Qty will vary per waffle iron)

Ingredients

2 eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Process

Preheat waffle iron.
Vigorously whisk the eggs in large bowl until fluffy.
Mix in flour, milk, apple sauce, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and vanilla extract until just smooth.
Spray the preheated waffle iron with a non-stick cooking spray.
Ladle 1/4-1/3 cup of the batter the onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot with butter & syrup.

Mozzarella Waffle Sticks

May 27, 2015

Oh, our poor car!!!

Our trusty, reliable Frank The Tank is in the shop now. He is in need of some lovin’.

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Waffle Sticks with a Cannoli Dip

May 20, 2015

I can be really flaky at times.

Okay, most of the time. I mean I don’t back out of commitments, I can’t handle being late, and I love to-do lists but when it comes to doing stuff for me I get flaky. My things just get pushed aside a lot of the time.

Like getting my license renewed…

Yep, it expired back in January while we were on our cruise and I only just got it renewed. My time during the day is so crunched from having to leave work early to get Autumn so I kept putting it off because I’d check the RMV website and it’d say there were 55+ minute waits. Ummm, no! Ugh. Well, I finally bit the bullet one day and headed over to the RMV in Watertown Mall at lunch. Well, what the dumb RMV website didn’t say was that there was a do it yourself kiosk there. WHAT? I was able to do that and it took like 5 minutes!! And I got to take multiple pictures until I liked one enough. yay!! Finally, something off the never ending to-do list!!!

Anyway, whenever I think of cannoli I think of my Poppy. Well, I am also reminded of him when I think of sfogliatelles, Drake’s Coffee Cakes, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. There were always boxes of coffee cake and packages of peanut butter cups in his refrigerator every time we would visit him in New Jersey. And he would often get Italian pastries for our visits as well. Most often cannoli and sfogliatelles were in the box. The best!

Now, because of the superior quality of the cannoli he would get I have a pretty high standard for them. You can’t have a soggy shell. Nor can your filling be too loose. And, something that I feel passionate about is that when you get a chocolate chip cannoli the filling MUST have mini chocolate chips in it. Don’t try to give me a regular cannoli that has its ends dipped into chocolate chips. Once you take a bite from either end it’s just like any other cannoli.

There are too many places that slack off when it comes to their chocolate chip cannoli (I’m looking at you Mike’s Pastry) so when I was planning on making this cannoli dip I was really excited that I would get to load it up with chocolate chips, just the way I like it!

The waffle sticks are lightly scented with coffee and orange, similar to the perfect Italian pick me up. The cannoli dip also has orange zest, which just makes the flavors pop, especially the chocolate.

The recipe makes for a lot of waffle sticks, which is great for a crowd to serve for a snack or dessert. But it you think that is too many for you then you can halve the recipe easily. Or just make them all and freeze them by laying them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet and then placing them in a resealable plastic bag once frozen.

Even Autumn loved snagging a waffle stick. I love that the waffle sticks are great for little hands. Plus, all kids love waffles. At least she really does!

I hope you’ll give these a try as the waffle sticks as they are so cute and the dip is incredible. I swear that you won’t stop dipping!

Waffle Sticks with a Cannoli Dip

Makes about 48 waffle sticks

Ingredients

For the Waffles

2 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teapsoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 Cups milk
1/4 Tablespoons brewed coffee
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
about 2 Tablespoons orange zest (I used 2 oranges)

For the Cannoli Dip

8 ounce container Mascarpone cheese
15 ounce container Part Skim Ricotta
1 1/4 Cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 to 1 Tablespoon orange zest (depending on taste)
2/3 Cups mini chocolate chips

Process

For the waffles, preheat your Mini Babycakes Waffle Sticks Maker
Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Vigorously beat the egg in a large bowl. Add the milk, coffee, oil, and vanilla extract and beat well.
Add in the dry ingredients and the orange zest. Mix until just combined.
Scoop out 1/3 Cup of batter and evenly spread out in the waffle iron. Cook until golden brown and crisp. Place on a wire rack to cool and crisp up.
For the dip, begin by straining off the Ricotta cheese to eliminate excess fluid.
In a large mixing bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, ricotta, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and heavy cream. Mix until smooth and well combined.
Add the orange zest chocolate chips and mix well.
Pour into a serving bowl. Serve with waffle sticks.

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While I received the waffle maker from Select Brands, all opinions are my own.

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And now the GIVEWAY!!!!

I have another awesome giveaway from Select Brands!! We’re partnering up this year and I’m so excited about it!

We want you to be able to make these fun Waffle Stick recipes so be sure to enter my giveaway for a Mini Babycakes Waffle Sticks Maker!

Follow the instructions HERE!!

Elvis’ Favorite Waffle Dunkers {& a Giveaway!!!!!}

May 13, 2015

I savor every day that is nice out. In fact our windows and doors are open now so I can enjoy the breeze and warm afternoon temps. We’ll just ignore the fact that I just let a ton of flies in, shall we…

My Dad rented a house on Cape Cod or all of our families to go to for a week in August for his 75th birthday. I can’t wait!! It will be awesome to have everyone together to hang for the week. The cousins will all get play and swim at the beach and in the pool, which is going to be so much fun for all of them. Plus, it will just be so nice for the family to be together. I think it’s been 15 years since my bother, sister, and I all took a vacation together. I am really looking forward to that lazy week in August.

And I swear I am going to pack my waffle irons so I can make all the cousins breakfast every morning. No really, I propably will. ha!!

I am just so hooked on waffles!!! And why shouldn’t I be?!?!? They are so awesome!!!

Exclamation points!!!! LOTS OF THEM!!!!

I think all the kids are gonna love when I bring my Mini Babycakes Waffle Sticks Maker since it makes fun waffle sticks that they can dunk into syrup. They are fun for kids of all ages as Autumn can easily grab them with her little toddler hands. And I swear the biger boys will enjoy that they are perfect for an on-the-go breakfast so they can play outside.

Plain waffle strips getting dunked in maple syrup us awesome, but I wanted to create a jazzed up, super fun recipe so I created this Banana and Bacon Waffle with a Peanut Butter Sauce for dunking.

Yep! I was inspired by Elvis’ favorite sandwich! He loved peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwiches. So I made these waffles sticks using those ingredients. I think The King would approve of these sweet, and yet slightly smokey, waffles with the luscious peanut butter sauce. Oh man, that peanut butter sauce is to die for.

The waffles sticks come out stuck together, but you just need to snip them apart with your kitchen shears to break apart the 4 waffle sticks. As well, they will come out a wee bit soft from the waffle maker, but they crisp up in just a few minutes when you place them on a wire baking rack.

Now don’t freight if you don’t have this awesome waffle sticks maker, you can use a square or circular waffle iron and just stack up your waffles and drizzle the peanut butter sauce over the waffles when serving them. But I think the Mini Babycakes Waffle Sticks Maker makes for the cutest waffle dunkers.

If The King was still alive I swear he would be singing the praises of these waffles. Definitely not singing the blues here!

Elvis’ Favorite Waffle Dunkers

Makes 48 Waffle Dunkers/12 waffles

Ingredients

For the waffles

6 ounces bacon
12 ounces butter
3 large very ripe bananas
1/2 Cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Cups flour
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 Cups buttermilk

For the peanut butter dunking sauce

3/4 Cup heavy cream
3/4 Cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup light corn syrup
pinch of salt

Process

Cut up the bacon into small pieces, no bigger than 1/4″ wide. Cook until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and place on paper towels.
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
Beat together the bananas and sugar. Once combined add the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract, beat well.
Add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the banana mixture, gently mix. Add half of the milk and mix to incorporate. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and milk. Add in cooked bacon and mix to thoroughly incorporated.
Cook in your preheated Mini Babycakes Waffle Sticks Maker until golden brown and crisp. Place on a wire rack to cool and crisp up.
Prepare the peanut butter dunking sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it has reached a boil. Turn down the heat slightly and mix thoroughly. Let simmer for 3 minutes to thicken. Serve warm with the waffle sticks.

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While I received the waffle maker from Select Brands, all opinions are my own.

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And now the GIVEWAY!!!!

I am kicking off my awesome partnership with Select Brands by giving away a Mini Babycakes Waffle Sticks Maker. In fact, for the next 2 weeks I am sharing fun dunkable waffle recipes and will be giving away waffle makers then as well. Three awesome recipes, three awesome giveaways in the month of May. Awesome!!

So let’s kick things off this week with this Select Brands Mini Babycakes Waffle Sticks Maker giveaway!

Follow the instructions HERE!!

Lemon Meringue Pie Waffles

May 6, 2015

37 Days until our wedding!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!

It’s so exciting and nerve-racking as we still have so many little things to figure out. Sure, Price’s suit and my dress are all set but we have to nail down a bunch of things still. Like we’ve been shopping for the Out of Town Bags we are going to hand out at our reception dinner, and then started to assemble them the other night, and now we have to decorate them with some ribbon next. Nothing too time consuming but just stuff like that.

It’s fun to plan it all out and do it to. It’s just that the time is getting squeezed, but it will all get done, right?!?! Okay, I know it will, but still ahhhhh!!!

Anyway, I’ll have some more in depth wedding planning posts soon.

In the mean time, I have this delightfully sweet and tart waffle recipe for ya. It’s finger licking good. Like chicken, but 10x better.

Ever since I saw these Lemon Meringue Cupcakes I couldn’t stop thinking of them. For real, they were haunting my dreams.

Granted, I was doing Whole30 then and some days I could have killed someone for some sugar. But in reality, they just looked awesome and I wanted them so badly.

Obviously, I had to make them, but with a twist. I had to make them into waffles.

Waffles are my everything right now. They are so awesome. I think about them all the time. You know, in the mix of toddle things, wedding things, work things, etc, etc. My brain is a jumble of delightful things.

These Lemon Meringue Pie Waffles are perfectly tart and sweet. It’s a great combination of flavors. I love lemon. It’s so refreshing. And lemon Meringue pie is so lemony. It’s the best.

Sure, pie is great. I love pie. And I know, I made over 50 last year when I did my Year of Pie posts. But waffles are so much easier to make. Plus, you’re basically having pie for breakfast. So that’s awesome.

Right now the most important thing is to make these. And for me to write vows, make favors, and order babies breath wholesale. Oh yeah, all that.

Don’t mind me as I stress eat these waffles while sitting on my kitchen counter going ‘la-la-la’ in my head. Care to join in?

Lemon Meringue Pie Waffles

Makes 20 mini waffles, 10 waffle sandwiches

Ingredients

For the Waffles

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

For the Lemon Curd

1 batch of Lemon Curd (3 Cups) or store bought lemon curd/lemon pudding

For the Meringue

1 Cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 egg whites, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

powdered sugar

Process

To make the waffles, start by preheating your waffle iron.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
Vigorously whisk the eggs in large bowl until fluffy. Add the milk, vegetable oil, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until just combined.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Some small lumps are okay.
Ladle 1/4-1/3 cup of the batter the onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Remove to a baking rack on a cookie sheet in an oven warmed to 200 degrees.
While the waffles are cooking, make the meringue.
Set a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water (don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl) to create a double boiler. Whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar, until egg whites are warm to the touch, sugar is dissolved, and mixture is frothy. Remove from heat.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat until glossy and stiff peaks have formed. Add the vanilla in during last 30 seconds.
Serve by plating a waffle , scooping a generous amount of the lemon curd on the warm waffle, and then scooping the meringue on top. Using a kitchen torch, or your broiler, brown the meringue. Top off with another waffle with making sandwiches. Dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Waffle recipe by I am a Honey Bee, meringue from Baked By Rachel

Churro Waffles with Dulce De Leche Whipped Cream

April 29, 2015

Churro Waffles with Dulce De Leche Whipped Cream – a mash up of a Mexican Style treat with a waffle topped with Mexican Style sweet dipping sauce

My Bachelorette Party is this upcoming weekend. Whoohoo!!!!

That just means that the wedding will be here before I know it!

…

Bacon Chocolate Chip Waffles

April 15, 2015

I have a new addiction. Oh baby, it’s a good one!

I can’t stop watching “Married At First Sight”. I just discovered it a few weeks ago so I am so into now. I am watching the latest episode as I write this. I know it’s going to take me 5x longer to write this post as I will be so distracted watching it.

ummm, 5 minutes just passed as my fingers rested on the keys as I watched…

It’s so interesting! It’s so weird. It’s so amazing. I mean, these 3 couples met each other at the alter. For real, they learned their names then. That’s insane, but cool.

I can’t figure out which couple I like the most. Or which one will actually continue on by committing to stay married after the ‘experiment’ phase.

All I do know is that I love to watch the current season and watching last season.

Anyway, I made these Bacon Chocolate Waffles a few years (ago and shared it then but I wanted to share it again as I had make some tweaks over the years. Mainly more bacon and more chocolate, obviously.

They do such a good job of combining the salty and sweet flavors. Every bite gets a bit of bacon and chocolate. I’ve made them with both regular semi-sweet chocolate chips and mini chips. It’s good both ways. When you make it with regular chips you get bigger bursts of chocolate in each bite, but with the mini chips you get more chocolate coverage. You can’t go wrong either way.

I insist that you make these! Plus, you gotta binge watch “Married at First Sight” so that we can catch up and dish on your favorite couple!!

Bacon Chocolate Waffles

Makes 12-14 (4″ Square) waffles

Ingredients

1/2 pound of bacon
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups of buttermilk
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 Cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Process

Cut the bacon into small pieces. I suggest using a scissor. In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove and place on paper towels to drain away the excess fat.
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.
Whisk together the egg, oil, vanilla and buttermilk in a small bowl.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips and crumbled bacon.
Preheat your waffle iron. When ready, scoop a 1/3 Cup of batter into your waffle iron. Cook until the steam has finished escaping out the sides and the waffles are golden brown. Serve with syrup & fresh fruit.

*If you don’t have buttermilk on hand you can make your own with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar for every cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes