wafflewednesday

Guava and Cream Cheese Stuffed Puffle Waffles

August 19, 2015

Years ago, while I was staying at a resort in the Caribbean, I grabbed a late night snack at the hotel’s on-site Dunkin’ Donuts. Tired from the glorious day of sun, I stumbled in there for a coolata.

And then I saw it.

I saw the most amazing thing ever.

A doughnut filled with guava jelly.

Okay, so it was just a Dunkin’ Donuts’ doughnut, so it wasn’t the best doughnut ever, but I was hooked on this guava filled doughnut. It was fun and tropical. It was the perfect late night snack that night.

The thing is that I haven’t stopped thinking about it. I used to always look for guava filled doughnuts but I never saw them here, so I just figure it was something special for the Caribbean locations. Lucky them!

Well, I was recently stumbled upon guava paste while I was grocery shopping. It was in a weird shaped can, which is exactly why it caught my eye. I had no idea what to do with it but I impulsively tossed it in the cart.

I’m glad I did as I quickly discovered that guava paste is really versatile. It can be eaten on just crackers or used as a filling for empanadas or swirled into cheesecake or even used as a glaze on pork tenderloin. Awesome!!

It pairs really well with cheese so I decided to play on the idea of traditional Pastelitos, which are pastries often filled with guava and cream cheese, when I made these puffles.

Now is the time to find some guava paste so you can make your own Guava and Cream Cheese Stuffed Puffle Waffles. Love!!

Guava and Cream Cheese Stuffed Puffle Waffles

Makes 8 puffles

Ingredients

1 17.5 ounce box of puff pastry dough
8 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 Cup guava paste
powdered sugar, for serving

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, combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth.
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 heaping spoonful of the cream cheese mixture on half of each piece. Add 3 small spoonfuls of the guava paste on the cream cheese mixture.
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.
Plate 2 puffles, shake some powdered sugar over the puffles, drizzle some warmed maple syrup on the puffles. Enjoy!!

Inspired by Epicurious

___________________

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

S’mores Puffle Waffles

Peanut Butter and Jelly Puffle Waffle

The Best Buttermilk Waffles

June 10, 2015

These waffles make me sooo happy!!

I recently had a long msg exchange with my best friend explaining how I’ve been so overwhelmed and struggling to be happy recently. Every day life has been a handful to juggle, and the wedding prep on top of it has been crazy cray. Plus, I’m on a project that has a deadline this Friday & I’m out of the office on Thursday (for another project) and Friday (for the wedding) so there is a big push to get as much possible done so I don’t leave my coworker screwed with a mile long to-do list.

When I’m stressed I tend to look forward in the future for things to get me through to that point. My friend totally gets me and my ways of ‘goal’ thinking. It’s not that I don’t ever enjoy the moment but I am often quickly moving on to the next thing. Having a rough day… look forward to the weekend. Having a rough week… look forward to the next vacation. Having a rough month… look forward to winning the lotto. There definitely is some benefit but when I start talking ‘well, I just have to get though this year and then when we move…’ she knows I’m in too deep. She reminded me how I can’t keep focusing on something so far off in the distance. Since having to think of it as 320-ish days as something ‘to get through’ is no fun.

So I’m really, really trying to rework my thinking so that I think about the day and little joys. I’m still thinking about the move to Florida but every day I’m trying to look around and appreciate the little things, instead of feeling that everything is an obligation and that I am about to be swallowed up by my to-do list.

So I took my friend’s advice and focused on day to day and enjoyed the weekend and the various moments throughout it.

Sunday was a great day and it started off with breakfast. Well Autumn’s 2 breakfasts… she had already 1 1/2 apricots and 1/2 cup of cheerios for breakfast early on. Then she noticed I was making waffles and walked over to her highchair and let us know she wanted back in and wanted some of the buttermilk waffles I was making. In the end she ate most of a waffle all by herself. Such a win!

Well, it’s easy to understand why she loved the waffles… they are the BEST. I swear by it. In fact, I already shared this recipe years ago, but I had to post again as I love it so much. Plus, I needed to give it the proper respect is deserved with some nice pictures. Good bye point and shoot, hello DSLR! ha!

This recipe makes for such a tender airy waffle. What makes it so tender? All that butter!! Yep, the recipe uses 2 sticks of butter. No joke!! But it’s all worth it. I mean you usually put butter on the waffle, but this time you just put butter IN it. I won’t judge if you put more on top actually.

But since it does use so much butter I will judge you if you use poor quality butter. For real. It is the biggest flavor component of the waffle, so you must use a good butter. I love Kerrygold as it adds so much flavor to the waffle. It’s a great Irish butter that uses milk from grass-fed cows. It makes such a difference. You’ll love it.

Get some good butter & buttermilk and you’re on your way to waffle bliss.

The Best Buttermilk Waffles

Makes 8 Belgian waffles

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups unsifted cake flour or 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
2 cups of buttermilk
16 tablespoons of butter, melted and cooled

Process

Wisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Beat the eggs and buttermilk together in a small bowl.
Combine the buttermilk and eggs into the flour mixture. Mix lightly with a fork until the flour is moistened. Mix in the melted butter. The batter should be lumpy.
Cook in your waffle iron. A really hot iron will produce a better waffle- nice crisp edges!

Sourced from The Cake Bible

___________________

Kerrygold has provided me with butters and cheeses 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.

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.

____________________

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

____________________

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!!

Waffle Iron Grilled Cheese

April 22, 2015

My mom was up from Florida visiting this past long weekend. It was such a blast. The last time I saw her was in January when we were staying with my dad after we went on our cruise. And the next time I will see her is in June when we get married. So we had a lot of catching up to do. As well as things to get done!

We did plenty of shopping for the wedding to get our DIY decorations and the goodie bags we are handing out at the rehearsal dinner started. I got my dress fitted on Sunday which was an ordeal but I think it’s all settled now. oy. And my mom get her dress too.

Besides that we also attempted to get some stuff from the Lilly for Target collection but that was a cluster … UGH! While that was a bust, we did get to enjoy some great food throughout her stay that I cooked & Price grilled. And I think I got her hooked on Naked and Afraid. ha!!

I was bummed that I didn’t get to break out the waffle iron while she was in town but I’ll better plan for it the next time she is visiting us. But I do have a great recipe to share this week!!! So pumped about it.

I just couldn’t ignore the fact that is it Grilled Cheese Month!!! And I obviously had to waffle it. Duh.

I swear I am going to use my waffle irons to make everything this year. Price is definitely going to kill me. I say by September, at the latest. ha!

It’s just that a waffle iron is like a panini press, but cooler. So you can, and should, use it to make grilled cheese.

I often alternate using mayo or butter on my grilled cheese, but this time I decided o use butter. What, you’ve never heard of mayo on a grilled cheese?!?! Oh I swear it makes for a dang good grilled cheese. Just swap out the butter you schmear on your bread with some mayo and cook like normal. Anyway, anyway, I used butter this time as I wanted it to feel more waffle-y as I pretty much always have butter on my waffles. No, I dunno. Actually.

Anyway, it’s important to use soft butter so you don’t tare the bread when you are schmearing it on. (Schmear is my current favorite word.) You can totally use butter softened to room temperature but I don’t typically plan for that prep time so I always keep some Kerrygold Naturally Softer Pure Irish Butter on hand so that I can use it right out of the fridge. I know there are other soft butters on the market but I truely prefer to use Kerrygold’s as the don’t add anything, like oil, to keep the butter soft. It’s just how they churn the milk the cows produce in the summer (naturally higher in softer milkfat) that keeps it soft. Cool!

I am totally flexible on the kind of cheese to use when making grilled cheese- America, light cheddar, sharp cheddar, etc. But I am not flexible with the color. If it can be orange it must be orange. It’s just one of those things that I really like, I dunno. Reminds me of growing up and using Kraft singles, I guess. But you can use whatever cheese you really enjoy. Just make sure do take a bite when it’s nice and hot!! Yum!!!

Waffle Iron Grilled Cheese

Makes 1 Sandwich

Ingredients

2 slices of sandwich bread
1 Tablespoon butter, softened
3-4 ounces of cheddar cheese, sliced very thin or grated

Process

Preheat your waffle iron.
Butter 1 side of each of the slices of bread.
Lay out one slice of bread down on your work surface, butter side down. Cover with your cheese, and top off with the other slice of bread, butter side up.
Lay your sandwich in your waffle iron. Close the top. No need to press it down as the weight of the top will slowly compress the sandwich on its own.
Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the sandwich is golden and the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

____________________

Kerrygold has provided me with butters and cheeses 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.

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