Waffle sticks

Up until a few weeks ago, I could count on one hand — specifically one finger — the number of times I’d tried a homemade waffle. (Sad, right? And it was years ago too.) The hubs and I were at a beautiful little B&B in Kingston just after Valentine’s Day (because we were too cheap to pay the premium to go on the actual holiday) and the couple who owned it served my hubby fluffy waffles dusted with icing sugar in the charming breakfast room. I had poached eggs or something, as I’d never order something that decadent myself, but I do remember trying some, and of course it was frickin’ delicious. And the years (and years!) after that? Waffles just weren’t a part of our lives. (Nor were B&Bs.) Oh Eggo’s from time to time for the kids, but those really aren’t the same, are they? Then a few weeks ago I bought this babycakes mini’s waffle maker (Target! $20!). Changed. Our. Lives.

Alright, so maybe I’m exaggerating just a bit, but it does do a damn good job. It heats up and cooks and minutes, it’s easy to use and it’s easy to clean. (The cleaning bit is key. You know if something’s a pain in the hoop to clean it’s just going to sit in the cupboard.) And it makes the cutest individual waffle sticks, which are ideal for little fingers.

I’ve tried the basic waffle recipe that came with it, but I found the waffles a little tough and prefer my trusty one for pancakes, which I’ve included at the end of this post. If you like a lighter waffle, you might like it too.

Careful not to overdo it with the batter. I’ve overfilled my waffle maker a few times and it makes a damn mess. Blueberry waffles were a mistake (the blueberries were too big so the lid didn’t close properly and the batter oozed out all over the place) but I’ve had lots of success with plain and chocolate. (For chocolate, just stir a couple of tablespoons of cocoa into the batter and thin with a little milk.)

You’ll want to cool them on a wire rack straight away so they stay all nice and crispy. You can also freeze them and reheat them in your toaster, stacking two in each slot.

I went a little cray-cray and dipped them in chocolate and sprinkles, but they’d be just as tasty (okay, almost as tasty) with syrup. And you could easily skip the sugar and make your own savoury creations — say, herb, garlic and cheese — and serve them with a creamy dip. Wouldn’t those be great for a party? Zillions of possibilities!

One thing’s for sure: they’ll be gone in seconds!

Try ’em and let me know what you think! Are you team waffle or team pancake? Or team neither? (Boo.)

On with the recipe!

Trusty pancake/waffle batter

Makes 28 waffle sticks (I’m guessing 7 waffles in a regular-sized wafflemaker)

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking power

2 tablespoons sugar

Sprinkle of salt

1 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Whisk dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry and whisk again until combined. Careful not to overmix; batter should still be a little lumpy.

Cook per your waffle maker’s instructions.